


Temporary Shelter

by XILVerify



Category: ASTRO (Band), K-pop, VIXX
Genre: Eunwoo is the Eternal Voice of Reason in this family, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Han Sanghyuk | Hyuk is a Little Shit, Hongbin is just confused, Hurt/Comfort, Hyuk is also a surprisingly good hyung who'da thunk it, Illustrated, Jinjin needs a hug, Ken is Delighted With Everything, Leo Sees All, MJ is going to have 50 new grey hairs by the end of this someone help him, Moonbin is a sassy puppycat, N is the Ultamate Mother Hen, Rocky lives up to his name, Sanha is a sensitive cinnamon roll, The Author Regrets Nothing, The way to Ravi's heart is through his dog, VIXX adopts a new maknae, Whump, basically 8 straight chapters of VIXX/Astro fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-27
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-02-07 10:54:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 23,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12839661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XILVerify/pseuds/XILVerify
Summary: Of all the things Park Jinwoo expected to happen today, being rescued from a mugging (and unofficially adopted) by the leader of a sunbae idol group had to have been near the very bottom of the list.(Or: Jinjin and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day feat. VIXX. Because there needs to be more fluffy intergroup friendship fics on this website, dangit, and if I have to write them all myself then so be it.)





	1. Desperate

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was heavily inspired by LulaWrites' fic ["If Found, Please Return,"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11591526/chapters/26052507) please go read it it's great.

“Yes!” Rocky cries triumphantly as the upbeat techno song ends and his score is displayed with much fanfare on the DDR screen. “A for the third time in a row! Beat that, Binnie!”

 

Moonbin’s eyes narrow as a B appears on his own screen. “That was just a warm up. Best five out of seven.”

 

“Guys, as much as we’d all like to see the dance-off of the century this afternoon, we do have other things on our itinerary today,” MJ drawls from his perch on the edge of the air hockey table, legs kicking back and forth rapidly as they dangle off the ground.

 

“Yeah,” Sanha chimes in, bouncing impatiently on the balls of his feet next to one of the racing games, the large, purple backpack hanging off his shoulders bobbing with each motion. “If you guys keep spending all your change in the arcade, we won’t have any money for the bus fare and we won’t be able to beat the hyungs home after shopping and I’ll be stuck doing MJ-hyung’s laundry for the next three days and-!”

 

“Breathe, Sanha, breathe,” Jinjin interrupts laughingly, seeing the lanky teen’s face going slightly red from the unbroken stream of words pouring out of his mouth.

 

“Besides, speak for yourself, kid,” Eunwoo adds from where he’s leaning against the side of Moonbin’s DDR machine. “We’re totally gonna win this thing, no contest.”

 

“Wanna bet?” Bin says challengingly as he and Rocky step off their DDR pads.

 

“I think we already did that,” Jinjin intervenes, sliding off the air hockey table from his seat beside Myungjun. “Now it’s time to put your money where your mouths are. Everyone’s clear on the rules, right?”

 

“Get as many items on the list in the backpack as possible, get home before the other team, yes, we’ve been over this.” Moonbin rolls his eyes.

 

“And you’re sure you divided up the items randomly, right?” This directed at Dongmin.

 

“Ten items on each list, plus a bonus item that counts as three items if you’re able to find it, and I had Rocky shuffle the lists before I put them in the backpacks,” Eunwoo confirms.

 

“Wait, I have a question,” MJ speaks up as the six idols exit the arcade and emerge into the huge, multi-story mall it’s connected to. “What happens if we all happen to get back home at the same time and have equal numbers of items? Who wins then?”

 

“Well, in that case, the first person who stepped foot in the apartment would win it for their team, I suppose,” Sanha says after thinking it over for a second. “Like a relay race or something.”

 

“Got it,” MJ says, grinning just a bit too widely. “Everyone ready?”

 

“Ready!” Sanha replies blithely, linking arms with Minhyuk and Bin.

 

“Let’s use that pillar as the starting line, then,” Jinjin suggests, and the six boys arrange themselves in a row. “On your marks… get set… go!”

 

The three maknaes immediately sprint toward the nearest escalator to get to the convenience store outlet the next floor up.  Eunwoo and Jinjin are right on their heels when MJ grabs their sleeves and drags them back behind the pillar.

 

“Hey, what’s the big idea, hyung?”

 

“Yeah, they’re getting a head start!”

 

“Okay guys, hear me out, I have a plan,” MJ explains hurriedly. “One of us should go home _now_ while the other two do the shopping. That way we’ll be _sure_ to win. It doesn’t matter if the other two are late home if we get all the items on the list and someone else from the team got there first. And I don’t know about you,” he adds as the two younger men take a moment to process the proposition, “but I’m not too keen on the prospect of doing laundry for three extra people for the next three days.”

 

“Technically, it’s not cheating,” Eunwoo says thoughtfully. He turns to Jinwoo. “What do you think, hyung?”

 

Jinjin mulls it over a moment longer before grinning mischievously. “Let’s do it. But how are we going to choose who leaves early?” he adds when MJ and Eunwoo fistbump each other.

 

“Actually, I was thinking you should go,” Myungjun says to a startled Jinjin. “I know you’re still getting over that cold Eunwoo brought home with him last week after that variety show gig.”

 

“Hey!” the vocalist protests. “It’s not like I tried to get anyone sick, geez. The coordi noona sneezed right in my face when she was doing my makeup, how was I supposed to dodge that?”

 

“No one’s blaming you, Dongmin, don’t worry,” Jinjin soothes, patting the tall young man on the arm as MJ rolls his eyes and continues.

 

“Look, point is, out of all of us, you’re the one who needs this day off the most, so go home, take a nap, watch a drama, catch up on some reading, just take it easy for a little bit. I know you have enough cash left over from lunch for cab or bus fare, and Eunwoo and I can handle the shopping.” He claps Eunwoo on the shoulder and gives their leader an encouraging grin, turning up the charm as high as it will go.

 

“I don’t know,” Jinjin says doubtfully. “You make it seem like I’m about to keel over. Like I keep saying, I’m _fine_. I’m just a bit sore and my throat’s still a little scratchy, that’s all. I can handle toting a few groceries around. We’re a team, after all.”

  
  
“Which is why you should be the one to go,” Eunwoo counters smoothly, evidently having decided to take MJ’s side on this. Jinjin can’t help but feel a tiny bit betrayed just on principle. “It’s not like we think you’re flaking out on us, hyung, this is a carefully calculated tactical maneuver. And come on, everyone knows how much you like to sleep. I’d probably just study if I went home by myself, and MJ-hyung… well, who knows what he’d get up to.”

 

“Brat,” MJ interjects mildly, giving the taller man a halfhearted swat upside the head, which he easily dodges.

 

“Go home and win this thing for us, and then take a nap, hyung. We’ll be fine, I promise.”

 

“Well… I guess when you put it like that,” Jinjin sighs, knowing when he’s beaten, a grin starting to pull at his lips regardless.

 

“That’s the spirit!” MJ encourages, pushing him back towards the exit. “Now get going, get going! Wait, no, gimme that first.” He divests Jinjin of the blue backpack with their list in it, slinging it over his own shoulder, and smirks. “Alright, _now_ you can go.”

 

“Alright, alright, I’m going,” Jinjin chuckles, jogging for the exit as MJ and Eunwoo dash in the other direction. Once he’s outside, he sees a taxi parked near the curb and hails it, sliding into the backseat with a polite greeting to the driver. After giving directions to the dorm, Jinwoo sits back in the seat and relaxes marginally as the buildings begin to fly by outside the window. It’s good to be able to sit down for a bit.

 

Even though he hadn’t been lying to MJ and Eunwoo earlier about his condition, the dance routine their trainer had put the group through the day before would have qualified as brutal even if they’d all been in peak health, and Jinwoo is still feeling its effects even after downing a double dosage of painkillers and cold medicine and turning in early the previous night. The residual soreness is still worth it in his opinion, though. The trainer had promised that if they performed the routine perfectly before the end of the session, he’d let them have the next day off. Even though at the time his head had been pounding and his throat felt scraped raw with every breath, Jinjin had forced his aching body to keep up, determined to not be the reason the kids couldn’t have a bit of time off for once.

 

Their hard work paid off in the end, though. The trainer had graciously conceded defeat at the end of the session and told the group of exhausted boys they didn’t need to bother coming in the next day for practice. So, after their scheduled vocal lessons this morning, the group had been free to do whatever they wished with the rest of the day. Naturally, everyone had wanted to go out somewhere to eat and unwind before stopping to get some groceries. Sanha had been the one to come up with the idea to turn it into a game, similar to the one they’d played when they’d moved into their new apartment for the second episode of “Astro OK!” only this time, there wouldn’t be any film crews following them around. Everyone had been on board with the plan, and after checking in with their manager, they’d eagerly set off.

 

Oh, speaking of which, Jinwoo supposes he should probably check in with MJ and Eunwoo to let them know he’s on his way back. He instinctively reaches for his phone, and then freezes. His phone… he’d put it in the backpack since his sweatpants don’t have pockets, and his jacket pockets are too small for anything but his wallet. The backpack MJ took…

 

The taxi driver gives his passenger an odd look in the rear-view mirror as Jinjin’s palm collides with his forehead with a loud “smack!” A few moments later, there’s a muffled popping noise, and the whole car judders wildly. The driver pulls out of traffic and over to the sidewalk with a string of muttered oaths and leaves the car, hunkering down beside the left front wheel as Jinjin watches mutely from the back seat.

 

“Sorry, kid,” the driver finally says after about a minute, poking his head back in the car with a rueful expression. “The tire’s gone flat. I won’t be able to take you any further today.” He gets out his phone and glances back at Jinjin, as the latter’s stomach sinks. “I can call a replacement taxi for you, if you’d like. There’s also a bus stop a couple blocks from here that’s should have a bus heading toward your address in the next ten to fifteen minutes, but…” He trails off and glances at the overcast sky above. “I don’t know if you can make it before it starts raining.”

 

“I’m pretty fast on my feet,” Jinjin says wryly, opening the car door and stepping out onto the street, a stiff breeze rustling the strands of his hair and bringing with it the smell of petrichor. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m in a bit of a hurry at the moment. I’ll take my chances with the bus.” He hands the man the cab fare and bids him goodbye after being pointed in the direction of the bus stop, setting off at a brisk walk down the sidewalk. 

 

Jinjin glances up worriedly at the foreboding rainclouds as he walks, still mentally kicking himself for forgetting to bring his phone with him. Well, no harm done, really, he tells himself, turning a corner and stuffing his hands in his pockets, hitching up his shoulders against the brisk wind blowing down the street. He should still have more than enough time to get home before the maknaes, this brief detour notwithstanding. It could have been a whole lot worse, after all. He shudders, wrenching his mind away from mental images of twisted metal and black, acrid smoke, and instead focuses on what he should do when he gets home.

 

Maybe MJ and Eunwoo were right. A nap is sounding pretty good right about now, he has to admit. As if in response to that thought, a huge yawn overtakes him, and he instinctively slows down a little, lifting a hand to his mouth out of reflex. In that brief moment of unguarded vulnerability, a large, thick arm wraps around his neck and hauls him into the dim alleyway to his left.

 

Jinjin automatically opens his mouth to cry out, and the arm around his neck tightens, cutting off his air supply and pulling his head up sharply as he’s dragged further back into the shadows behind some boxes and bags of garbage. His unseen assailant’s other hand grabs both of his wrists and wrestles them behind his back as a slim, hooded figure dressed in a black hoodie, ragged jeans, and wearing a cloth mask over the lower half of his face materializes out of the shadows.

 

“Make sure the little rat doesn’t squeak, Deoksu,” he orders in a jittery, high pitched voice as the arm around Jinwoo’s throat tightens further, causing him to give a stifled grunt as his airway is constricted even more.

 

“Now look.” The man brandishes a large, sharp pocketknife in front of him before bringing it up to hover right over the exposed skin at the base of the boy’s throat, “All we want is your money, kid. Hold still, and no one has to get hurt.”

 

 _I’m being mugged,_ Jinjin thinks blankly, a jolt of fear coursing through his veins as the hand not holding the knife begins to frisk him. _Oh my God, I’m actually being mugged._

 

His assailant quickly finds his wallet and pulls it out of his pocket with a triumphant gleam in his eye, carelessly ripping the bills out while letting the wallet drop to the ground. As he realizes that he’s only holding what amounts to about nine thousand won, however, his gaze quickly turns from elated to furious.

 

“Are you fucking _kidding me_?!” the man snarls, crumpling the bills in one hand, his whole body starting to visibly shake. The knife blade, already a hairsbreadth away from Jinjin’s skin, suddenly slices into his flesh, slashing a long, shallow line across the base of his throat to the rise of his collarbone. The pain snaps him out of his brief, shock induced stupor, and he kicks up with his right leg, driving his knee straight into the man’s stomach.

 

As the mugger doubles over with a surprised grunt, Jinwoo struggles for all he’s worth against the iron grip holding his arms behind his back. He manages to pry one of his wrists free and twists around to elbow his captor sharply in the gut, making the arm around his throat and the hand around his other wrist loosen enough that he can squirm away. He barely has the chance to take one step before a hand grabs a large fistful of his hair and yanks him backwards. The side of his head collides with crumbling brick, sending white stars exploding across his vision as long, thick fingers curl around his neck and _squeeze_. The man, who Jinwoo can now see is easily over six feet tall and also wearing a mask over the lower half of his face, then bodily lifts him up and _slams_ up against the wall, eliciting a pained, choked wheeze as whatever remaining breath he’d been able to hold onto is forcefully knocked out of him.

 

“That _hurt_ , kid.” The other man speaks for the first time, his voice a low, threatening rumble deep inside his chest. Held upright only by the punishing grip on his throat, the tips of his sneakers dangling inches off the ground, with black spots starting to swim in his vision and wet warmth trickling steadily down the side of his face, Jinwoo finally begins to panic.

 

“Dammit, Deoksu!” the other mugger wheezes, stumbling into Jinwoo’s narrowing field of vision as the boy starts to claw desperately at the large hands steadily choking the life out of him. “I told you to fucking _hold him_!”

 

“You’re not the only one who hasn’t had a hit in over two days, Inbok,” the other man says, not taking his eyes off Jinjin’s reddening face.

 

“You’re right, you’re right, clearly I was expecting too much from you,” the smaller man, Inbok, replies snidely, shoving the meager fistful of stolen bills inside the pocket of his hoodie. Jinjin barely has time to see Deoksu’s eyes flash dangerously before the crushing grip around the boy’s throat loosens and he falls heavily to the trash-strewn ground, coughing painfully.

 

Over the pounding of his own heartbeat and desperate attempts to refill his depleted lungs with oxygen, he dimly hears, “You wanna go, little man?”

 

“Save it for the next target, dumbass. The kid didn’t give us nearly enough, and we’re going to have to get creative if you want to get rid of these godawful muscle cramps by end of the day. Speaking of which…” The slightest crunching sound of gravel underfoot is all the warning Jinwoo gets before a breathless cry of pain and shock rips itself from his throat as a booted foot slams brutally into his ribcage.

 

“That’s payback for earlier, brat. Consider _this_ ,” Inbok delivers another savage kick to the boy’s chest, “interest.” Yet another kick causes Jinwoo to give a broken, gasping sob, involuntary tears beginning to leak from his eyes as he instinctually curls up into a ball, trying to protect himself against the merciless blows.

 

“ _Shit_.” Deoksu suddenly swears violently as thunder rumbles ominously overhead. “Inbok, we’ve got company.”

 

“Inbok, he’s coming this way,” he says when he gets no response, save for the sound of boot striking flesh yet again. “We need to _go_.” Inbok gives an inarticulate snarl of frustration, but finally stops after giving a final, parting kick to the boy’s shin as the two men abscond.

 

All Jinwoo can do is lie there for a few moments as footsteps retreat into the distance, icy darkness creeping around the edges of his blurring vision. Everything hurts. Everything hurts _so much_. It would be so easy to just… fall asleep… not have to move for awhile…

 

A large drop of cold water suddenly hits his cheek. Then another. And another. The soothing coolness of the liquid against his hot, bruised skin returns a bit of clarity returns to his dazed mind. No… no, he has to move. He has to get up. It’s starting to rain; if he stays here in his condition, he might die, and he can’t die, he can’t, he has to go home.

 

The thought of home is what finally lends a small surge of strength to his aching, beaten body. With herculean effort, he manages to roll over onto his front, get his unsteady arms under him, and push himself up onto his elbows. He wavers there for a moment, trembling, his muscles feeling like frayed rubber bands that could snap at any second. The black spots nearly overtake his vision entirely, and he blinks a few times to try to clear them away before he abruptly registers a pair of white sneakers directly in front of him.

 

“Are you alright?” a worried, oddly familiar voice asks from somewhere above him, the sounds fading in and out as if he’s hearing them from underwater. Jinjin looks up to see none other than VIXX’s N looking down at him in extreme concern, a blue umbrella held in one hand and two plastic grocery bags in the other. Just as the young man hazily wonders whether he’s suffered one too many blows to the head and has finally started to hallucinate sunbae idols in the place of concerned bystanders, the man speaks again.

 

“Jinjin?” he says incredulously, looking as surprised as the young rapper feels. “Park Jinwoo?”

 

 _Cha Hakyeon knows my name,_ Jinwoo thinks to himself numbly, just as darkness consumes his vision entirely and everything just-

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> o no, Jinjin ded. :O (I'm sorry dear, ily, really) 
> 
> Feel free to go yell at me in the comments or on [my tumblr](http://x-i-l-verify.tumblr.com/), I know I deserve it.


	2. Youth Hurts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jinjin finally gets some much-needed TLC, and N adopts a new dongsaeng in approximately .03 seconds, to the surprise of exactly no one.

The injured young man’s confused, glazed eyes slide closed, and he slumps bonelessly to the ground, bleeding head knocking against the dirty concrete with a dull thunk. Hakyeon immediately sets his bags down and kneels beside him. His first instinct is to check the kid’s bruised throat for a pulse, and lets out a relieved, shaky breath when he finds it beating steadily under his fingers. Out of the corner of his eye, he notices a wallet lying on the ground nearby. He reaches over with one hand, keeping the other on the kid’s shoulder, and grabs it, flipping it open. The wallet is empty aside from a personal ID card, which confirms that Hakyeon’s eyes hadn’t been playing tricks on him and that the unconscious boy in front of him is indeed Park Jinwoo of Astro. From there, it’s easy to put two and two together.

 

“Aish, kid, how in the world did you get yourself into this?” Hakyeon wonders aloud as the rain starts to beat a faster tempo on his umbrella. He pockets the wallet and gently turns the young rapper onto his back, causing him to moan quietly in his sleep. The dancer frowns, brow furrowing in concern as he recalls how viciously one of the masked hoodlums had been kicking the boy before Hakyeon’s presence had made them retreat. Now’s not the time or place for a checkup, though.

 

After a moment of deliberation, Hakyeon decides he’s going to need both his hands free for this and collapses his umbrella, stowing it away into one of the grocery bags. Looping the handles of both bags over one elbow, he then carefully gathers Jinjin’s small, compact body into his arms. The boy instinctively curls closer to Hakyeon’s body heat as the older man stands, igniting a small spark of protective warmth deep inside his chest.

 

It’s only a few blocks back to VIXX’s shared dorm from the alleyway, but Hakyeon still walks as fast as he can regardless as the rain begins to come down in a steady torrent, soaking both him and his passenger. Fine time to leave his phone at home, Hakyeon reflects, grumpily blinking rainwater out of his eyes as he walks. In his defense, this was _supposed_ to be just a quick grocery run, as Taekwoon point blank refused to make the kimchi jjigae without dried anchovies, and since Hakyeon had eaten the last of them a couple days ago, he’d been volunteered to go get more, along with a few other things they’d been running low on.

 

Finding the leader of an up and coming rookie group getting mugged in an alleyway so near his home had therefore come as quite a nasty shock. VIXX and Astro had never really interacted beyond a few hurried _pleased to meet yous_ backstage at a couple music shows and award ceremony rehearsals, but Hakyeon likes what he’s heard of their music, and has consistently been impressed by their choreography; it would have been a terrible tragedy if something were to happen to such promising young talent only a few months into their debut year, and Hakyeon is unspeakably glad the boy had cried out when he did. Otherwise, he might not have noticed the mugging in time to scare the two ruffians off as he passed by on his way home. He shudders to think how bad the situation could have gotten had no one intervened, and instinctively tightens his grip on Jinjins’s shivering, comatose form.

 

 

When they’re a couple blocks away from the dorm building, Jinjin begins to stir, finally awakening with a groan. His eyes flutter open, his gaze distant and dazed as he tries to take in his surroundings. He suddenly seems to register that he’s being carried, and his gaze immediately sharpens, focusing on Hakyeon’s face. Recognition dawns in his eyes and he freezes, as if unable to process what he’s seeing.

 

“Am I dreaming?” he finally croaks weakly, before wincing and closing his eyes as Hakyeon steps off a curb to cross the street, answering his own question before Hakyeon can even open his mouth. “No, never mind, this hurts too much to be a dream. Which means…” His eyes snap open again, almost comically wide and his hands fly up to cover his mouth in shock. “Oh g-gosh, you’re actually N! VIXX’s N! Ohmigosh!”

 

“In the flesh,” Hakyeon confirms, smiling warmly down at the boy, who is really not doing a very good job of hiding how starstruck he currently is. Frankly, it’s kind of adorable. “Pleased to officially meet you, though I wish it was under better circumstances.”

 

“L-likewise, sunbae-nim.” Jinjin lowers his hands and inclines his head in a clumsy half-bow, cheeks flushing with cold and probably no small amount of embarrassment at the situation and his brief moment of unabashed fanboying. “Honestly, this isn’t the way I pictured our first meeting going either,” he mutters, bravely mustering a wry little half-grin despite the inherent awkwardness of the situation and how much pain he has to be in.

 

Hakyeon can’t contain a soft chuckle at the sheepish admission. “I certainly hope not. Also, please, call me hyung. I don’t think we need to worry about formalities right now.”

 

Jinjin blinks a couple times in surprise, and Hakyeon catches a quick glimpse of a small, pleased smile before Jinjin ducks his head bashfully as they finally reach Hakyeon’s apartment building. “I-if you’re s-sure,” he replies, through teeth that are starting to chatter.

  
“I’m sure,” Hakyeon responds firmly, tucking the kid’s dripping head against his shoulder and holding him closer in an attempt to keep him as warm as possible as he makes his way into the elevator. A weary hum is his only response, and Hakyeon glances down worriedly to see Jinjin’s eyes starting to close again.

 

 “Hey now, stay with me, kid,” Hakyeon orders, shaking the boy lightly, trying to keep him from drifting off again as he punches in the appropriate floor number with his pinkie finger. “We’re almost home.  We’ll get you patched up, and then you can sleep as much as you want, I promise.”

 

“Ok-kay, h-hyung,” Jinjin replies, a violent sneeze punctuating his sentence.

 

“Don’t tell me you’re catching a cold, too,” Hakyeon frets as the youth groans in pain, trying to ignore the sudden and intense urge to place a hand on Jinjin’s forehead to check his temperature.

 

“It’s j-just the rain,” Jinjin assures him. “I’ll b-be fine once I c-can dry off.” Hakyeon has his doubts about that, but doesn’t voice them. And then the elevator doors slide open, revealing the entire city blanketed in clouds and rain, and the dancer breaths a small sigh of relief.

 

“Almost there,” he murmurs to his charge as he jogs down the balcony before coming to a halt in front of the appropriate door. Not sparing a moment, he smacks the doorbell with his elbow and waits impatiently for someone to come answer it.  

 

“Took you long enough, hyung,” he finally hears Sanghyuk’s muffled voice from behind the door as he opens it. “We’re all _starving_ , and Jaewhan-” He trails off as he registers the sad, bloody, dripping bundle in his leader’s arms. “Oh...”

 

“Take him to the bathroom and get him a clean change of clothes,” Hakyeon orders, immediately taking charge of the situation and depositing Jinjin into a very startled Sanghyuk’s arms. At any other time, the way the maknae’s large frame dwarfs Jinjin’s comparatively small one would be almost comical, but right now it just makes him look pitifully vulnerable.  “I’ll meet you there after I get the first aid kit.”

 

Hyuk still looks a bit shell-shocked at the unexpected turn the afternoon just took, but rallies admirably and nods, departing for the bathroom just as Taekwoon pokes his head out of the kitchen to investigate the commotion. He accesses the situation in about .5 seconds and promptly divests Hakyeon of the groceries, whisking them back into the kitchen without a word.

 

“Thanks Taekwoonie!” Hakyeon gratefully calls after him, kicking off his shoes, and making a beeline for the closet. On the way, he sees Jaewhan peering out of his room curiously, staring after Hyuk and Jinjin as they disappear into the dorm’s bathroom. Thinking fast, Hakyeon swerves and catches Jaewhan’s arm as the latter makes a move to follow Hyuk and their guest.

 

“Hyung, was that-?”

 

“Park Jinwoo from Astro, yes, and _no_ ,” he tugs Jaewhan’s arm toward him when he tries again to follow after the two boys again, “you may not go see him right now. Long story short, I found him getting mugged on the way home, and I don’t want him getting overwhelmed with too many people at once. Go help Leo put away the groceries, you can meet him after I finish patching him up.” Jaewhan pouts, but seems to grasp the gravity of the situation and dutifully heads for the kitchen when his leader gives him a gentle shove in its general direction.

 

Potential crisis averted, Hakyeon turns his attention back to the supply closet. Time to start fixing this mess.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

“Overwhelmed” would probably be the word Jinwoo would use to describe how he feels right now, had he the presence of mind to attempt it. As it is, he’s too busy trying to process the fact that he is _in VIXX’s dorm_ , being _carried by VIXX’s maknae_ , and _dear God,_ _everything hurts, ow, ow, my **head**_. He dimly feels Hyuk setting him down on something, and realizes that he’s in the bathroom, sitting on top of the closed toilet lid. The world tilts alarmingly on its axis for a few dizzying seconds before finally stabilizing.

 

“Hey.” Hyuk crouches down in front of him, head cocked slightly to one side in concern. “You okay? You look like you’re gonna hurl. Trash can’s right there in case you need it.”

 

“Been better,” is all he can manage, because nope, he is not going to puke in front of Han Sanghyuk on their first official meeting, nope, nope, not gonna happen.  

 

“Yeah, looks like it,” Hyuk agrees before offering a friendly grin. “It’s Jinjin, right?”

 

“Uh, yeah,” Jinjin replies dazedly, before remembering his manners and folding into a deep bow that almost sends him tumbling off the toilet. “Pleased to meet you, sunbae-nim.”

 

“Same.” Hyuk grins wider and bows back, and wow, being in this much pain really, _really_ sucks, because Jinwoo can’t even enjoy this moment properly. The universe apparently just hates him today. “Saw your group’s cover of Voodoo Doll last year, by the way,” Hyuk is saying, and Jinjin’s stomach does an odd little jump.

 

“Really?” he says, and immediately wants to slap himself for not coming up with a better response. Why does his brain insist on working at only 50% capacity right _now_ of all times?

 

“Yeah, N-hyung made us all sit down and watch it when he found out about it. You guys did a great job.”

 

“I did what now?” N appears in the doorframe, an armful of towels under one arm and a first aid kit in the other.

 

“Nothing, hyung, nothing,” Hyuk replies quickly, smoothly getting to his feet and giving Jinjin a surreptitious wink before making a quick escape. Jinjin can’t contain a soft giggle, and N rolls his eyes, but Jinjin can see a fond grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

 

“Where did I go wrong with that boy?” he sighs melodramatically, setting the first aid kit on the edge of the sink and filling a nearby cup with water from the tap. He hands the cup to Jinwoo along with two blue tablets and two white ones, running a washcloth under the faucet spray before shutting it off. “So, Jinjin, have you ever heard about the time Leo almost accidentally bought an entire cat café while we were on our first tour in Japan?”

 

Jinjin shakes his head mutely, eyes wide, and gratefully downs the painkillers and cold medicine, the icy water feeling heavenly against his parched throat.

 

“Well then, let me tell you about it.” N crouches in front of him and starts wiping away the blood, dirt, and rainwater covering most of Jinwoo’s visible skin with the warm, damp washcloth. He then moves on to disinfecting and bandaging the boy’s cuts and scrapes with a deft, practiced hand, all the while keeping up a steady stream of idle chatter. Jinjin knows full well the older man is trying to distract him, but he’s grateful for it, and gradually finds himself relaxing slightly under the careful, gentle ministrations.

 

After the superficial cuts and scrapes are taken care of, N crooks a finger under Jinjin’s chin, exerting the slightest amount of pressure. Jinjin recognizes the unspoken request for what it is, and even though he can’t suppress a shudder at the memory of large, merciless hands choking the life out of him ( _don’t think about it, **don’t think about it**_ ), he obediently tilts his aching head back and bares his throat, allowing N to get a better look at the bands of purple bruises blooming across his skin.

 

“Are you having any trouble swallowing?” the dancer asks, fishing a jar of bruise cream out of the first aid kit and unscrewing the lid. 

 

“No,” Jinjin replies, barely biting back a traitorous whimper as N begins to lightly massage the cream into the damaged skin. “It just… hurts...”

 

“I’m not surprised in the least,” N sympathizes. “I’m just glad the damage isn’t worse.”

 

“You and me both,” Jinwoo agrees fervently as N finishes with his throat and leans back onto his heels, giving him a calculating once-over.

 

“Alright, last thing and then you can get dried off and change into some clean clothes once Hyukkie gets back with them.” Jinjin perks up a little at this, the notion of being dry and warm again a very attractive one. His back had managed to stay mostly untouched by the rain, but the soaked front of the clothing is still leeching an uncomfortable amount of heat away from his body.  “Would you mind taking your shirt off for me? I saw how hard that bastard was kicking you, and I want to make sure he didn’t break anything.”

 

( _“That’s payback for earlier, brat.” A boot slams into his side again, and again, and-_ **_don’t think about it_** )

 

“…Yeah, okay.” Too tired to muster up the energy or inclination to argue, Jinjin laboriously removes his soaked jacket and hands it off to N, who dumps it in the hamper beside the shower. (“We were planning on doing laundry later anyway, don’t worry about it.”) The boy then takes hold of the hem of his shirt and hesitates for a moment before pulling it over his head. His eyes start to involuntarily water as his muscles scream wordless obscenities at him, but he somehow manages to valiantly blink back the tears. If N notices, he doesn’t say anything. Of course, that might just be because he seems too busy trying to restrain himself from hurling the jar of bruise cream against the wall. Jinjin can’t remember a time he’s seen the leader of VIXX actually, genuinely _angry_ at something. Granted, it’s probably for a reason, since the group does have their image to think about, but still. He didn’t think it would be quite this intimidating. As soon as Jinjin notices the incensed look, however, it vanishes and is replaced by one of concern, leaving the young rapper wondering if he’d imagined it.

 

N reaches out partially and then stops, looking to Jinjin for permission. “May I…?”

 

Jinjin takes a deep breath and nods… and then immediately lets out a small, sharp, wordless keen of pain when N’s long fingers delicately prod one of the large, purpling bruises on his ribcage.

 

“Sorry! Sorry...” N immediately eases up even more on the pressure. The rest of his touches on the darkest bruises are feather-light, and though they still hurt, Jinjin is able to stay silent throughout the rest of the examination.

 

“Does it hurt when you breathe at all? Any sharp chest pains?” N asks as he wraps up his cursory inspection, scooping up more of the bruise cream and smearing it over the nearest blemish. And there are quite a few of them, Jinjin notes. His chest looks like a sack of bricks fell on it. He’s suddenly very grateful for the painkillers N had him take earlier.

 

“No,” he replies truthfully, biting his lip hard as the salve is slathered on yet another bruise, fingers clutching his damp, dirty shirt in a white-knuckled death grip.  

 

“In that case, I don’t think anything’s broken,” N says thoughtfully, standing up to reach a particularly nasty welt wrapping around Jinwoo’s side. “You’re just going to have to take it easy for a week or two.”

 

“Aish, dude, what did you _do_ , get mobbed by a horde of rabid baseball bats or something?” comes Hyuk’s incredulous voice from the direction of the door.

 

“Or something,” Jinjin mutters, not looking up, voice strained from the effort of not bursting into tears from how much it all _hurts_.

 

“Now’s really not the time, Hyukkie,” N interjects, using what Jinwoo immediately knows is his Hyung Voice.

 

“Right, got it, sorry, I’ll just… be right out here…” The bathroom door closes rapidly.

 

N sighs, and a hand rests on Jinwoo’s bare shoulder, squeezing lightly. “Okay, then I think we’re done here. Unless there’s anything else I need to take a look at?” Jinwoo mutely shakes his head.

 

“Alright. I’ll go get the couch ready for you while you towel off and change into the clothes Sanghyuk just brought over. Take your time, there’s no rush. If you need anything, anything at all, he’s going to be right outside.” He starts to step toward the door, when he’s stopped by a hand on his.

 

“Thank you,” Jinwoo says quietly, around the sudden and inexplicable lump in his throat. “I haven’t said it yet, but… thank you. For… for everything.”

 

N’s smile is incredibly soft. “You’re welcome.” His other hand briefly closes over Jinwoo’s and presses. “I couldn’t very well have left you bleeding in that alley, after all. I’m just glad I was able to help. Now, take it easy for a bit, alright? You’ve had quite a day.”

 

After N takes his leave and the first aid kit, Jinjin sits for a minute, pressing the palms of his hands into his eyes, trying to muster enough willpower to move. He finally removes his hands from his face, telling himself the reason his vision’s gone misty is because of the bathroom’s bright lights, and begins the laborious process of shucking off his soaked sweatpants, socks, and shoes. Once he’s finished rubbing himself down as best he can with one of the towels N left him, he locates the stack of clothes on the edge of the sink and dresses on autopilot, mechanically pulling on the green shorts and black t-shirt with a large, stark white question mark stamped on the front. The clothes are very obviously meant for someone considerably larger than him, but they’re dry and clean and that’s more than enough for him right now.

 

Someone taps the door. “Dude, you decent? I brought you some slippers. Since Ravi-hyung’s in the studio right now, he won’t be needing his, so.”

 

“Yeah, you can come in,” Jinjin calls. Hyuk pokes his head into the room and reaches a long arm across the small space, depositing a pair of slippers into Jinjin’s waiting hands.

 

“Thanks. Oh, um, sorry about the shoes, what should I do with…?” He gestures to the muddy sneakers next to the hamper as he gratefully slips his feet into the borrowed pair of footwear.

 

“Oh, it’s fine, it’s fine, just leave them there, we’ll get them later.” Hyuk waves a hand at him absently before noticing that Jinjin still hasn’t moved from his perch on the toilet. “Hey, you need a lift back to couch? N-hyung will have my head if anything else happens to you after he just got through patching you up, so I’d be happy to-”

 

“No, no, no, it’s okay, I’m feeling a bit better, so you don’t have to carry me, sunbae,” Jinjin interjects, pulling himself to his feet hurriedly. “It’s okay, I can waaaa…” His voice trails off as the world again begins to tilt alarmingly at the sudden change in position, and his knees start to buckle. He’s saved from crumpling gracelessly to the floor by two large hands gripping his arms firmly, helping him settle back down onto the toilet seat.

 

“Okay, Plan B.” Hyuk turns and crouches down, back to Jinwoo. “Well?” He asks over his shoulder when the younger boy hesitates. “Don’t leave me hanging here.”

 

Jinwoo stiffly, awkwardly clambers onto Hyuk’s broad back and grips his shoulders while the older boy’s arms loop securely around his legs. As Hyuk straightens to his full height, Jinjin experiences another small head rush. He didn’t quite realize before just how… huge Hyuk is. He’s around the same height as Sanha and Dongmin, but the difference is that Sanha could hide in the shade of a telephone pole, and Dongmin also has more of a lithe, trim swimmer’s build. Sanghyuk is just _big_ , in all senses of the word. Jinjin is no stranger to being the shortest person in most rooms by now, but it’s still a tad intimidating.

 

“You okay?” Hyuk glances behind him. “Stomach staying where it’s supposed to?”

  
  
“Yeah, I think I’m alright, sunbae-nim,” Jinjin affirms, trying and failing miserably to keep an embarrassed blush from spreading across his cheeks. _Way to make a great first impression on your seniors, Jinwoo, great job, keep it up._

 

“Good to hear. And feel free to call me hyung, if you want. In fact,” Hyuk glances around the bathroom conspiratorially before looking back at Jinjin. “I’d kinda prefer if you did. I never get to be the hyung, you know?” Jinjin stares for a second, taken aback by the admission, and then can’t help the slow, small smile that spreads across his face. He remembers how odd but exhilarating it had felt when the kids had first called him hyung back when they were still trainees. Even though Hyuk is older than him, he’s still the youngest in his group, and in his own family, if Jinjin isn’t mistaken; of course he’d jump at the chance to be the hyung when he could simply to see how it felt. Honestly, it’s rather endearing.

 

As Hyuk carries him into the living room where N is constructing a makeshift bed on the couch out of blankets and pillows, a loud, muffled yell sounds from one of the bedrooms. Jinjin’s hands reflexively tighten on Hyuk’s shoulders at the sudden noise.

 

“That’s just Hongbin,” Hyuk assures his passenger. “He’s playing Overwatch right now, and he gets… kinda competitive. Don’t worry about it, he’ll come out eventually. Probably when he gets hungry.”

 

“Did you tell him we had a guest yet?” N asks, plumping a pillow as Hyuk gently sets Jinwoo down on the opposite end of the couch.

 

“Are you kidding, hyung? He threatened to flush my dinosaur necklace down the toilet last time I interrupted one of his games and he lost the match. And while I _think_ he was joking, that’s a chance I’m not willing to take. He’ll just have to find out that we have a guest later.” Hyuk glances at Jinwoo, and the rapper doesn’t miss the mischievous twinkle in Hyuk’s eyes as he says that last bit. The two boys break into simultaneous giggles.

 

“Are people having fun without me already?” Ken emerges from one of the bedrooms, holding a stuffed animal in the crook of one arm. He lights up once he sees Jinjin, smiling widely. “Hi, Jinjin! Here, hyung has something for you.” He bounds over and unceremoniously shoves the plush toy into the other idol’s arms. “Chopper always makes me feel better when I’m not feeling well. You probably need him right now more than I do.”

 

“Thank you, hyung. I’ll take good care of him.” Touched, Jinjin examines the toy, the smiling face of a cute little bipedal deer wearing an oversized pink hat looking back at him. The plushie’s design is oddly familiar and it takes a moment for Jinwoo to place it as a character from one of Moonbin’s favorite shows.

 

“He’s… a doctor, too, right?” Jinjin ventures, looking back up at the vocalist and hugging the plushie close. He immediately sees why Ken likes it so much; it’s delightfully squishy and soft, perfect for cuddling with.

 

“That’s right!” Ken looks both surprised and pleased. “Are you a fan?”

 

“I’ve seen a couple episodes, and we all know the basics by now, but no, Moonbin’s the One Piece fan in our group,” Jinjin explains, smiling fondly. Ken says something else after that, Jinjin knows he does, but his ears don’t register the words. His tired, overworked mind has finally caught up with the situation and is sluggishly connecting the dots. Moonbin… the others… home…

 

“Hyung!” The rapper’s panicked exclamation draws all three men’s’ undivided attention to him as he sits bolt upright on the edge of the couch. “My members! I should be almost home by now, they won’t know where I am, I need to call them, they’ll be so worried when I don’t show up, I need to let them know I’m okay, that I’m not… dead…” He trails off at that, the implications from the events of the past half hour fully sinking in.  

 

If N hadn’t stopped to help him… if those men had kept going… he could have actually _died_. Oh God, he just almost died… he might have never seen his members again, or his family, or any of his friends. They’re going to be so upset, they’ll have no idea where he is, he has to call them, he has to see them, he’s the leader, it’s his responsibility, he could have died, he could have- Strong arms encircle him and pull him close to a broad, warm chest, and Jinwoo instinctively clings to it like a lifeline.

 

“Breathe, Jinjinie, breathe,” N’s mellow, gentle voice murmurs somewhere above him as a hand rubs soothing circles into his back. “It’s alright, you’re safe now. We’ve got this. You don’t need to worry about anything right now. I know you’re used to taking care of everything in your own group, but this is one of those times where you don’t have to do that. Let hyung handle this, okay? Everything will be fine, I promise. All you need to focus on right now is getting better. Alright? Breathe, there, that’s it…” Jinwoo obeys, and finds himself gradually calming down, his heart rate and breathing returning to normal levels. Once he realizes he just had a brief panic attack in front of _half of VIXX_ (kill him now), he pulls back hastily.

 

“Sorry about that,” he apologizes, not quite knowing how else to attempt to recover from that particular episode.

 

“Nah, don’t worry about it,” Ken waves him off good-naturedly. “You should have seen how Hyukkie reacted when we all went home after we left him at the gas station back when we first debuted. Poor kid was a wreck.”

 

“I was _not_!” Hyuk protests, scandalized. “I was _upset_ , because you went and left a _minor_ at a gas station. There’s a difference! ”

 

“He was a wreck,” Ken says in a stage whisper to Jinwoo.

 

“Do you want to lie down for a bit?” N asks as Ken and Hyuk begin to bicker in earnest, his hand a warm, comforting presence on his back. Jinjin nods emphatically, suddenly feeling more exhausted than he remembers being in a long time. He willingly submits to being tucked into the makeshift bed on the couch, N fussing with the blankets in a manner quite similar to Jinwoo himself when he’s checking up on his younger members back at home. He has to admit that it’s kind of nice to be the one babied for once.

 

After he’s tucked in, Jinwoo immediately finds it a struggle to keep his eyes open. He tries his hardest anyway, because he doesn’t want to miss a word of Ken’s funny story, because he wants to talk more with Hyuk later, because N is so nice and comforting (and also because his members will never let him live it down if all he can tell them he did after meeting VIXX is that he crashed on their couch like some sort of vagrant). But despite his best efforts, his eyes start to droop shut of their own accord.

 

Just a minute. He’ll rest his eyes for just a minute, he can still hear with his eyes shut no problem, he’s got this, and gosh, those fingers combing through his hair sure do feel nice, and…

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

Hakyeon continues carding his fingers gently through the damp strands of Jinwoo’s hair until his breathing evens out entirely, just to make sure the boy is well and truly asleep.

 

“So, hyung, when can we expect the adoption papers to be finalized?” Sanghyuk teases from his perch on the couch’s arm, grinning slyly. Hakyeon would neck chop him if he weren’t so far away, and he knows it, the brat.

 

“He’s so _tiny_ ,” Ken coos, finally able to properly gush now that their guest can’t hear, hands clutched under his chin like a schoolgirl that just saw a basketful of kittens. “Oh my _God_ , he’s so _small_ and _cute_ and UGH. Hyung,” He turns imploring eyes on Hakyeon, “hyung, we need to keep him. Please, can we keep him, please, hyung, pleeeeeeease?”

 

Hakyeon rolls his eyes to the ceiling, praying for the strength to do what he must. “Hate to break it to you, Jaehwanie, but the position of VIXX’s Cute Maknae has already been filled.”

 

“Oh, come on! I’m sure our Hyukkie wouldn’t mind graduating to the position of hyung for a while. Would you, Sanghyuk?”

 

“I dunno, I could probably get used to it.”

 

“Be that as it may,” Hakyeon interjects, tugging his dongsaengs out of the living room and herding them into the kitchen to give Jinjin a little more peace and quiet. “I don’t think Fantagio or his members would take kindly to us keeping him. Oh! Which reminds me.” He rummages around on the counter for his recharging phone. He can only imagine how frantic he would be if one of his members just up and disappeared without warning and any way to contact them. If the rest of Astro isn’t already panicking, they will be very soon, and he needs to head off that possibility as soon as possible.  

 

“How’s the kid?” Taekwoon asks without turning around, currently preoccupied with chopping kimchi and green onions for the stew while a pot simmers on the stove.

 

“Looks like hell, but sleeping now. N-hyung’s already all but adopted him, we’ll have a new maknae just as soon as we can convince him to go through with it,” Jaewhan announces matter-of-factly, perching on the edge of the table, the very picture of innocence.

 

Taekwoon fixes Hakyeon with a knowing look as the eldest splutters indignantly at this blatant mutiny. “Has he now.”

 

“Stop slandering my good name, Lee Jaewhan, I raised you better than this!” Hakyeon shakes his phone reproachfully at the younger man. Jaewhan sticks out his tongue unrepentantly. “And don’t look at me like that, Taekwoon, it’s not what you think.”

 

“Don’t kid yourself, hyung, you have _so_ adopted him,” Hyuk chimes in, smirking shamelessly as he leans against the refrigerator. “We all know you well enough by now to see the signs.”

 

Hakyeon throws up his hands in exasperated defeat. “ALRIGHT, okay, yes, I admit it, the boy is adorable and it’s exceptionally nice to be able to fuss over someone without getting grief for it _for once_ ,” He glares pointedly at his two incorrigible dongsaengs, “but I’m pretty sure the rest of Astro’s going to want their leader back at some point. So, if you’ll excuse me.” He gestures to his phone and then makes a great show of unlocking it and going into his contacts section.

 

A loud crack of thunder from outside punctuates this gesticulation, making them all jump slightly. “Gosh, it’s really coming down outside, isn’t it,” Hyuk observes, peering out the kitchen window with a grimace.

 

“The news already reported six major accidents on the main roads just in the last half hour,” Taekwoon states quietly, nodding at the small TV propped on the kitchen counter, which is on but muted. “They’re advising people to stay off the roads entirely until the rain lets up if they can. Given that, I think it might be better to keep the kid with us tonight and have his members pick him up tomorrow. Just to make sure nothing else happens.”

 

“I agree,” Hakyeon nods decisively, scrolling absently through his list of contacts, trying to decide who would have the best chance of having someone from Astro’s number. “I don’t think Jinjinie should be moved right now, anyway. You didn’t see the way he looked earlier, but…” He trails off, remembering the network of ugly, dark bruises marring Jinjin’s torso and throat, and his hands involuntarily clench on his phone. It doesn’t matter that he barely knows Jinwoo; it would have taken a much harder heart than his to have been unmoved by the way the kid had tensed and trembled at every careful touch when he was being patched up, how lost and scared and vulnerable and _hurt_ he’d seemed when he’d finally briefly broken down in Hakyeon’s arms. It makes every single nurturing instinct Hakyeon’s members so love to tease him for kick into overdrive, and he’ll be damned before he lets one more thing hurt a single hair on that boy’s head while he’s his responsibility.

 

Abruptly noticing that everyone’s giving him odd looks because of his sudden silence, Hakyeon hurriedly continues. “Well, let’s just say those bastards really did a number on him, poor thing. I think he might have hit his head as well.”

 

“Yeah, I noticed that, too,” Hyuk confirms grimly, his teasing mood from earlier gone. “He was… definitely acting kinda out of it. He was having trouble even standing up on his own.”

 

Jaewhan’s eyes widen in worry. “You don’t think it’s serious, do you?”

 

“Probably not, but I’ll check up on him later, just to make sure.  In the meantime, let’s keep it down and let him sleep as much as he can.”

 

“Um… guys?” Hongbin’s hesitant voice pipes up from the direction of the living room. As one, they all scramble to the doorway to see the visual glancing rapidly between them and Jinjin’s sleeping form on the couch with an utterly confused look on his face. “Why is there a random, beat up kid sleeping on our couch? Did I miss somethi- ACK!” He’s cut off by Sanghyuk and Jaewhan simultaneously lunging for him, grabbing an arm each, and bodily dragging him back into his room, presumably to fill him in in the situation without running the risk of waking up their guest.

 

The two eldest are left behind in the kitchen, staring after them bemusedly. Hakyeon then lets out a long breath and settles into one of the kitchen chairs, massaging his forehead tiredly as he turns his attention back to his phone and wonders when this became his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For reference, I imagine Ken’s Chopper plushie looks something like [this](https://animeworks.com.au/wp-content/uploads/cm/G/E/GE7096.jpg).
> 
> We’ll be spending some time with Astro next chapter, so look forward to that. :D


	3. Breathless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Astro finally gets the news about their leader. Some members take it better than others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An update at long last! Sorry for keeping everyone waiting on this story for so long, I'll try not to let so much time go by between updates again. ^^; Thank you to everyone who commented over the months, you guys really helped keep me motivated. Hope you enjoy the update!

“I feel like a drowned rat,” MJ grumbles as he and Eunwoo squelch up the stairs, groceries in hand.

 

“Oh, stop moaning, hyung,” the younger boy returns mildly, tucking a cheap, dripping umbrella under his arm. “I told you not to go jump in the pothole, but…”

 

“It looked like a puddle! What’s the point of rain if you can’t jump in puddles? I was deceived!”

 

“You were acting like a five year old, and as a result you ended up in two feet of water and nearly drowned the bok choy and carrots along with yourself. You’re lucky it wasn’t an open manhole cover.”

 

MJ is saved from having to reply by them finally reaching their apartment. He punches in the code for the door and opens it.

 

“Finally!” comes Sanha’s strident crow as the two dripping young men enter the apartment. “Bin-hyung! Minhyuk-hyung! The hyungs are finally back!” He turns back to the two of them and grins like the proverbial cat that got the canary.

 

“I hope you like doing laundry, hyung,” he singsongs teasingly, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet.

 

“What are you talking about?” MJ asks, just slightly peevishly as he and Dongmin begin shucking off their soaked coats. “We’re clearly the winners here.”

 

“Oh yeah, I can definitely see that, hyung. Out of curiosity, did you _actively_ go stand in a storm drain, or…?”

 

“Why don’t you c’mere and find out, brat.” 

 

“Meep! Binnie, save me!” Sanha dances out of the way as MJ tries to wrestle him into a soggy headlock, and takes shelter behind Moonbin, who’s emerged from his room along with Minhyuk.

 

“Don’t kill the maknae, MJ-hyung, we still need him,” Bin says amusedly. “What’s this I hear about you being the winners, though? Clearly we got here before you.”

 

“But Jinjin-hyung beat you home, so technically, we won,” Eunwoo says, before stopping and raising one eyebrow. “Jinjin… is home, right?” The maknae line glances at each other in confusion.

 

“No…? Bin finally says slowly. “Why would he be? Wait…” He narrows his eyes suspiciously. “Wait, don’t tell me you sent him home early so you’d get home first!” MJ and Eunwoo carefully look everywhere but at their dongsaengs.

 

“Hyungs!” Sanha gasps. “That’s _cheating_!”

 

“Well, _technically_ -” Rocky and MJ begin at the exact same time.

 

“We can argue semantics later,” Eunwoo interjects. “Bin, you’re sure Jinwoo hasn’t been here?”

 

“Pretty sure we would have noticed him by now,” Moonbin replies drily.

 

“Where’s Jinjin-hyung, then, if he’s not here?” Sanha asks, a note of worry starting to creep into his tone. “Is he okay?”

 

“I’m sure he’s fine, kid,” MJ hastens to soothe his youngest dongsaeng. “You know Jinjin. He probably just got stuck in traffic or stopped for a snack.” Despite his assurances, MJ can’t help the tendril of worry that begins to worm its way into the back of his own mind. Where _is_ the rapper, anyway? Even though he’d gamely kept up with the group earlier, MJ could tell the younger boy had been in obvious need of a nap and maybe a couple more cold pills, which was part of the reason why he’d offered to let him go home early in the first place. He should have come right home. It’s odd that he still isn’t back.

 

“In fact, here, let me call him real quick to see what’s taking him so long.” He digs his phone out of his pocket and dials the leader’s number, tapping his foot impatiently against the floor. Of all the times to live up to his nickname of “the slow rapper,” seriously…

 

MJ’s backpack starts buzzing. Dongmin digs through one of the pockets and pulls out… Jinwoo’s phone, the caller ID clearly reading “MJ-Hyung.” The two glance at each other in dismay, and then Myungjun facepalms dramatically amid the maknaes’ snickering.

 

“Um, MJ-hyung?” Minhyuk speaks up. “Not to interrupt the moment, but you’re kind of creating your own lake in the middle of the floor.” Myungjun looks down to see that a growing puddle of dirty water is indeed growing underneath his soaked lower half.

 

“Go change, hyung,” Dongmin grins. “I’ll compare hauls with the maknaes and let you know how it goes.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

“Face it, hyung, you lost. Fair and square.”

 

“Oh, come on! We got the bag of special edition shrimp chips, that counts for three whole extra items!”

 

“Yeah, but look, we got the red bean jellies, which also counts for three whole extra items. We tied. And since we got home first…”

 

“Hehe, you’ll be doing my laundry for the next three days, MJ-hyung! I’ll be sure to leave extra, just for you~”

 

“Dongmin-ah, tell me honestly. How unlikely do you think it is that Fantagio would be down for forming a new, three-man idol group anytime soon?” 

 

“Extremely. Besides, it won’t really look good for our image if word gets out that Astro broke up because of a scavenger hunt.”

 

“Mmm, thought so. Next best thing?”

 

“Next best thing.”

 

“Um… hyungs? What are you…?”

 

“ATTACK!”

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

About thirty minutes after the pillows and cushions are all returned to their proper places on beds and couches and the screams and war cries have died down, Dongmin sticks his head into the larger of the apartment’s two bedrooms, where MJ is lying on his bed, watching a drama on his phone. “Do you… do you think we should call manager-hyung?” he says quietly so that the maknaes – who are currently playing a synchronized game on their phones in the living room – can’t hear. “Just in case?”

 

MJ thinks for a moment, worry starting to gnaw at him in earnest. Jinjin still hasn’t come home, then. “We’ll give him fifteen more minutes,” he finally answers, just as quietly. “If he’s not back, or at least called us by then, then yeah, I think we should let the manager know.”

 

Dongmin nods and ducks out of the room, while Myungjun turns his attention back to his phone. Or tries to, anyway. He’s having a hard time focusing. It’s not like him to worry overmuch (he prefers to leave the title of Astro’s resident fussbudgets to Jinjin and Eunwoo, thanks), but he can’t seem to shake the feeling of impending doom that hit him ever since Eunwoo pulled their leader’s phone out of the backpack. He knows it’s probably nothing; like he told Sanha earlier, Jinjin is stuck in traffic or something, and they’ll all have a good laugh about this later after he and Eunwoo chew him out for making them lose the game before bundling him into bed to take a nice, long nap, so why does he still feel so… tense? It’s weird. It’s weird and he doesn’t like it.

 

He’s just about to clamber off his bunk to go find one of the younger kids to play with to take his mind off things when his phone starts to buzz. He nearly drops it in his haste to see who’s calling, and his heart sinks when he sees an unknown number instead of Jinjin’s. _Stupid,_ his mind reminds him, _Jinjin’s phone is on his bed, you dummy, of course he wouldn’t be the one calling you_. He answers it anyway. Jinjin could have borrowed someone else’s phone to call him, after all.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Is this MJ? Kim Myungjun?” a delicate, mellow voice asks. It’s maddeningly familiar, but MJ can’t quite place it. And they’d used his stage name to refer to him. Someone in the idol industry, perhaps?

 

“Yes?” he answers confusedly. “May I ask who’s calling?”

 

“Cha Hakyeon.” MJ swears his heart skips two whole beats once his mind places a face with the words. “Or VIXX’s leader N, if you prefer.”

 

“Oh! Sunbae-nim!” MJ sits bolt upright in his bed and just misses cracking his skull on the ceiling by about half a centimeter. He folds into a quick bow on instinct before remembering that the older man can’t see him. “To what do I owe the, er, pleasure?” Oh, if only he wasn’t currently distracted with worrying about Jinwoo, he can’t even freak out properly about a sunbae idol calling him up out of the blue…

 

“Just ‘hyung,’ is fine, MJ. And I apologize for calling so suddenly, but it’s about Jinjin.”

 

MJ snaps to attention immediately. “Jinjin? Wait, you know what happened to him, sunb- hyung? Is he okay? Is he alright? Where is he? Is -”

 

“Breathe, MJ, calm down,” comes N’s faintly amused voice from the other line as the rest of the boys cluster around next to his bunk, drawn by the sound of their leader’s name. “Before I say anything else, let me stress that Jinjin is perfectly safe. He’s sleeping on my living room couch at this exact moment, as a matter of fact. But,” N’s voice turns serious, “earlier today, I found him getting mugged a few blocks from our apartment building.”

 

 

“Mugged?” Myungjun says faintly into the receiver as the bottom drops out of his stomach. A visible wave of panic ripples through the rest of the members. Sanha gasps and clutches Dongmin’s arm tightly, eyes reflexively welling up with tears, while Bin instinctively grabs Minhyuk’s hand and squeezes as if his life depended on it. “How… how bad…?”

 

“From what I can tell, he’ll be perfectly fine in a week or two, Myungjun-ah, don’t worry,” N hastens to assure him. “It’s just some cuts and scrapes and bruises, nothing some rest won’t fix, but all the same, he should probably take it easy for a few days just in case.”

 

“Duly noted,” MJ replies, feeling slightly giddy from sheer relief. “I’ll call our manager and we’ll be over as soon as we can to pick him up-”

 

“Ah, about that,” N interjects. “We – that is, the other members and I – were discussing the matter, and we think it would be safer for all parties involved if you waited until morning to pick him up because of the weather. There have already been a number of car accidents reported today since the rain started, and I don’t want to risk you all getting into a car accident as well. It would probably be best for Jinjin if he was able to rest for a while without having to travel, too.”

 

Myungjun’s first instinct is to argue, to insist they get Jinwoo back as fast as humanly possible, but as much as he wants (needs) to see Jinjin again, the practical part of him knows the elder idol is right. They have nothing to lose by letting Jinwoo stay overnight with VIXX (goodness, isn’t that a thought), but everything to lose by potentially getting into an accident because of the weather. “Well… if you’re sure it won’t be a bother, hyung…”

 

“Absolutely no trouble at all,” N replies firmly, and Myungjun can hear the smile in his voice, laced with a special kind of sympathetic warmth that tells the younger man that the older idol knows very well what it’s like to feel the same worry and panic about his dongaengs that’s churning in Myungjun’s gut right now. “I’ll text you our address, and you can come over in the morning to get your leader. If there’s anything else you need, I’m just a phone call away, alright?”

 

“Thank you, hyung.” MJ suddenly feels like crying, and he has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep the tears at bay. Not in front of the members, and _certainly_ not in front of N. Everyone needs him to be strong right now. “Just… really, thank you. For looking out for our Jinjinnie like this.”

 

“Any half decent person would have done the same thing,” N replies, the warm smile still evident in his tone. “I’m just happy we could help. Jinjin’s a special kid.”

 

MJ has to smile at that, a curl of warmth thawing a little of the icy chill that’s taken up residence in his insides. “That he is.”

 

They exchange perfunctory farewells, and the second MJ removes the phone from his ear, he’s immediately accosted by four very worried boys.

 

“Jinjin-hyung was mugged?” Sanha blurts out, beating the other three to the punch. He’s still clutching a longsuffering Dongmin’s arm in a white-knuckled death grip. “Is he alright is he okay who was that on the phone do we need to go get him what- MMF!”

 

“I think,” Dongmin says firmly, as he keeps his hand pressed over Sanha’s mouth, “we should all keep our mouths shut for the next thirty seconds and let MJ-hyung explain what’s going on.”

 

“Good plan,” Bin mutters while Minhyuk nods mutely, the two younger boys still holding each others’ hands tightly.

 

Myungjun climbs down from his bunk, herds them all into the living room, and explains the situation as clearly as he can while trying his best to ignore the ever-growing sense of guilt that’s replacing the panic he’d felt earlier now that he knows Jinjin will be alright. He was the one who suggested Jinwoo go home early. He’d still be with them safe and sound if Myungjun just hadn’t opened his big mouth- _okay, now is not the time for self-recrimination, Kim Myungjun, focus. Focus for the kids, you can kick yourself all you want later._

 

The younger boys still seem quite worried by the end of his brief summary, but they do seem to be breathing a little easier now that they’ve heard the whole story, or what little MJ knows of it.

 

After a couple moments have passed while everyone tries to process what was just related to them, Moonbin speaks up. “…You do realize that this means Jinwoo-hyung’s basically having a sleepover with VIXX right now, right?” The rest of them have to smile a little at the thought.

 

“Figures that it’d take an incident like this to get us properly introduced to them,” Dongmin replies with a small but genuine grin. “We’ll have to grill him for details once he gets back.”

 

“I still wish he was with us instead, though,” Sanha says quietly.

 

“We all do, San, but there’s no point in sitting around speculating,” Rocky, ever the sensible one, says, ruffling the younger boy’s hair comfortingly. “Dinner still needs to be made. You want to come help me with the noodles?” He holds out his hand to Sanha and smiles.

 

“Okay.” Sanha gamely tries to return the smile, though it ends up being more of a wobbly grimace, and takes Rocky’s hand, allowing himself to be pulled in the direction of the kitchen.

 

Moonbin eyes flick back and forth between MJ and Eunwoo for a couple seconds before he follows the two youngest members. “I’ll help you with the table, Minhyuk. Sanha no, those aren’t noodles those are potato chips _don’t_ –!”

 

Amid the sudden commotion in the kitchen (a common occurrence in the Astro dorm when Sanha is allowed anywhere near the food preparation process; Rocky’s handling it with practiced ease), Myungjun decides he shouldn’t put off calling their manager any longer, and decides to step out into the hall to get a little peace and quiet while he does so. Before he can take more than a step, However, Dongmin’s grabbed his arm and bodily pulled him into his and Moonbin’s room, closing the door behind them.

 

“Dongminnie, what-”

 

“I know what you’re thinking, and _it’s not your fault, hyung_ ,” Eunwoo says, quietly but earnestly. “So derail that train of thought right now before it goes any further. Jinwoo-hyung isn’t here to say it, so I’ll say it for him. And don’t lie to yourself, you know that’s what he’d say to you right now if he could.”

 

“It doesn’t _matter_ what he’d say, Dongmin,” Myungjun retorts fiercely, all traces of his usual happy virus persona buried under the weight of the current situation. “The fact of the matter is, it was my idea to send him home early, I didn’t make sure he had his phone so he could keep in touch, and then something like _this_ happens. I’m the oldest, and since, as you pointed out, Jinwoo isn’t here right now, even if this isn’t my fault, it’s still my responsibility.”

 

The younger boy’s eyes widen, clearly taken aback by the vehemence in the vocalist’s tone, and Myungjun immediately softens. “I know you’re just trying to make me feel better, Dongmin. And I appreciate it, I do. I just… I’m the one who’s supposed to look out for _him_ , you know?” Because Jinwoo may be the leader of Astro, but Myungjun is the oldest; when things become too much for Jinwoo to handle, Myungjun is the one he confides in, the only one he allows to see his breakdowns when the burden of being the leader is just too much for him to bear alone. And it’s killing Myungjun inside that he’s unable to do anything for his best friend right now other than sit here in this small apartment and worry.

 

By the look in Dongmin’s eyes, he seems to understand. “I know, hyung. I know. Accidents just happen, sometimes. Just…” Dongmin places a hand on his shoulder and squeezes, “make sure you’re not blaming yourself, alright?”

 

Kind of too late for that, honestly. “Yeah, sure.”

 

“Because if you _are_ , then you should be blaming me, too,” Dongmin continues, which stops Myungjun cold. “I took your side, you know. I could have protested and Jinjin and I would have outruled you, and he would have stayed. But I thought you had a good idea, and Jinwoo needed to go home and get some rest anyway. I’m as much to blame as you, if you want to play that game.”

 

Myungjun’s heart wrenches painfully as the taller boy hangs his head, unshed tears welling up in his eyes. “Dongmin… you’re not… I don’t…” 

 

“Exactly,” Dongmin says, smiling tightly. “If you’re not going to blame me, then don’t blame yourself. Deal?”

 

MJ huffs a small laugh and closes the small gap between them, wrapping his arms around the younger boy’s torso. It’s hard to remember sometimes that Dongmin is actually three years his junior. “How did you get so smart, kid?”

 

“It’s a talent.” MJ can hear the smile in the other’s voice as he returns the hug, sniffling a little. “Also self-preservation. _Someone_ has to be the mature voice of reason around here, might as well be me.”

 

“Brat,” Myungjun says with infinite fondness, leaning back and cuffing him gently upside the head. “You’re lucky I’m such a laidback and easygoing hyung.”

 

“I know,” Dongmin replies, equally as fond. “We’re all lucky to have you as the oldest, MJ-hyung.”

 

“You’ve turned sentimental in your old age, Dongminnie,” Myungjun huffs teasingly, to cover the warm happiness bubbling up inside him at the affectionate words of affirmation.

 

“If I’m old, what does that make you? Prehistoric?”

 

“Yah, get outta here before I kick your ass, insolent punk!”

 

“But this is my room-”

 

“Out!” Myungjun waves the hand holding his phone imperiously at the door, his loud giggles probably completely undermining the stern image he’s going for.

 

“Alright, alright, I’m going, I’m going,” Dongmin laughs, making a tactical retreat. “I’d better go out and help make sure Sanha doesn’t burn the kitchen down anyway.”

 

“You do that,” MJ sniffs theatrically, making a show of turning his attention back to his phone. He can’t help the grin that spreads across his face once the door closes behind the other vocalist. He then notices that N recently sent him a text with the directions to VIXX’s apartment, and his grin fades. He scrolls through his list of contacts, and selects one, pressing the phone to his ear with a silent sigh.

 

“Manager-hyung? It’s me, MJ. Doing okay, thanks. Listen, we have… a bit of a situation, here…”

 

 

 


	4. Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conversations are had, understandings are reached.

_19:37 Hulk Hyogi_

Hey, hyung.

So, out of idle curiosity, how’s your butt?

 

_19:38 Wonchic_

Hey, Sanghyuk.

And that depends. Which butt are you talking about?

 

_19:38 Hulk Hyogi_

The one with a mind of its own, of course. If you want to give an update on the other one, too, though, be my guest.

 

_19:38 Wonchic_

Butt’s been a perfect angel, thanks for asking.

I don’t know why I didn’t start bringing him to the studio sooner, it’s really nice having company while I work. You know, that doesn’t talk back and can’t distract me.

 

_19:38 Hulk Hyogi_

Oh, I’m sure you get plenty distracted regardless. I know how you get around cute things.

 

_19:39 Wonchic_

I’m going to ignore that last statement.

So, what’s been going on at home base?

 

_19: 39 Hulk Hyogi_

Well, Leo-hyung made kimchi jjigae for dinner

N-hyung picked up a stray

Hongbin nearly heaved his chair through the window again playing Overwatch

You know, the usual.

 

_19:39 Wonchic_

I could really go for some kimchi jjigae right now. Did you save me any, perchance?

 

_19:40 Hulk Hyogi_

Well, we saved some, but it’ll probably be gone by the time you get home, sorry to say. I know you were planning on spending the night at the studio, and you’ll probably die a horrible, tragic death if you try to come home in this weather anyway.

 

_19:40 Wonchic_

True. I guess I’ll just starve, then. Such is my fate. ㅠㅠ

 

_19:41 Hulk Hyogi_

I’ll compose a stirring ballad in your memory, hyung. VIXX will do its best to soldier on with 5 members. Or, you know, you could just eat the leftover kimbap Leo-hyung packed for you, either or.

 

_19:41 Wonchic_

You’re such a thoughtful and considerate dongsaeng.

 

_19:41 Hulk Hyogi_

I try.

 

_19:45 Wonchic_

…

Wait.

N-hyung _picked up a stray_???

 

_19:45 Hulk Hyogi_

GEEZ, WONSHIK-HYUNG, TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH.

I was wondering if I’d have to actually spell it out for you in big sparkly neon letters!

 

_19:46 Wonchic_

I’m sorry, it’s been a long day!

But for real, he actually picked up a stray?

What is it, dog or cat?

Are we keeping it?

Most importantly, is it cute?

 

_19:47 Hulk Hyogi_

In order:

Yeah, came home with Astro’s leader Jinjin in his arms like they just stepped out of a drama or something, shit was intense.

Neither, though I’d probably peg him as a dog person if I had to guess

Alas, no, N-hyung won’t let us. Watch this space, though, Jaewhan’s trying to wear him down and I think he might be succeeding.

And here, see for yourself:

****

 

_19:47 Wonchic_

!!!!!!!!

 

_19:48 Hulk Hyogi_

IKR. N-hyung is already completely smitten, and Ken-hyung’s not much better.

 

_19:48 Wonchic_

I don’t blame them. Kid’s criminally adorable.

Why is he all beat up, though? :( Did he get into a fight or something?

 

_19:48 Hulk Hyogi_

Got mugged. N-hyung happened to be walking by with groceries as it happened, so he scared away the attackers and took Jinjin home with him.

 

_19:49 Wonchic_

OMG you weren’t kidding when you said it was like something out of a drama.

Though is that… one of your shirts he’s wearing?? Or are my eyes betraying me?

 

_19:49 Hulk Hyogi_

Well, given that his original clothes are kinda currently soaked in mud, blood, and rainwater, yes. Yes, it is.

 

_19:50 Wonchic_

Goodness. Well, nice to know I'm not blind yet, at least.

Also I feel like Chopper is staring into my soul there. 0_0 Let me guess. Ken-hyung’s idea?

 

_19:50 Hulk Hyogi_

Do you know anyone else who likes collecting One Piece merch around here?

 

_19:51 Wonchic_

You need to stop spending so much time around Hongbin, Hyukkie, he’s a horrible influence on your sarcasm levels.

 

_19:51 Hulk Hyogi_

Jealousy does not become you, Kim Ravi. （￣へ￣）

 

_19:51 Wonchic_

I’m not even dignifying that with a response.

 

_19:51 Hulk Hyogi_

Didn’t you just?

 

_19:52 Wonchic_

Quiet you.

Astro… isn’t that the new rookie group that just debuted this year, who did that dance cover of Voodoo Doll last year that N-hyung made us all watch?

 

_19:52 Hulk Hyogi_

>:P

The very same.

 

_19:53 Wonchic_

Gosh, good thing he stepped in then. That could have been… bad.

 

_19:53 Hulk Hyogi_

You’re telling me. Poor guy seems kinda shaken up over it, though I don’t think it’s quite set in all the way yet.

 

_19:54 Wonchic_

Right, that’s it, I’m coming home right now, rain or no rain.

 

_19:55 Hulk Hyogi_

Your funeral, hyung. And I mean that literally, there’ve been a bunch of car accidents this evening, and the authorities are advising people stay off the roads if they can. Astro’s picking Jinjin up tomorrow because of it.

 

_19:55 Wonchic_

…

So what you’re saying is, I have to wait to meet him tomorrow.

 

 _19:56 Hulk Hyogi_  
Yup.

 

_19:56 Wonchic_

And I’ll have to come early if I want to meet him before his group retrieves him.

 

_19:56 Hulk Hyogi_

Yup.

 

_19:56 Wonchic_

And I’m not getting any kimchi jjigae.

 

_19:56 Hulk Hyogi_

Yup.

 

_19:57 Wonchic_

>:[

Life officially hates me.

 

_19:57 Hulk Hyogi_

Yup.

 

_19:57 Wonchic_

You’re enjoying this, aren’t you, you punk.

 

_19:57 Hulk Hyogi_

Little bit.

 

_19:58 Wonchic_

Brat.

 

_19:58 Hulk Hyogi_

Awwww, love you too, hyung. ( ˘ ³˘)~♡

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

Jinjin slowly pries his eyes open, feeling like lead weights are attached to his eyelids. He stares up at an unfamiliar ceiling, and has a brief moment of panic before the events of the day all come rushing back. Crap. He fell asleep, didn’t he.

 

“Hey, Jinwoo-yah.” Jinjin turns to see N sitting on the floor at the foot of the couch, a laptop in his lap. “How are you feeling?” The dancer sets aside his laptop and crawls over to kneel beside the couch, placing a hand on the boy’s forehead.

 

Jinjin tries to focus past how nice N’s cool hand feels against his hot skin and mentally takes stock. “Like someone ran me over with a car.” He _sounds_ like it, too, not good.

 

“That bad, huh?” N winces sympathetically. “Do you need more painkillers?”

 

“If it wouldn’t be too much trouble,” Jinjin croaks sheepishly. “How long was I out?”

 

“A few hours,” N replies, getting smoothly to his feet and rummaging around in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. “Are you hungry, by the way? I could get you something, if you want.”

 

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to impose-” His stomach cuts him off with a loud, rumbly growl, causing N to chuckle and Jinjin to blush hotly.

 

“So that’s a yes, then,” N says teasingly, bringing the bottle of pills back over to the couch along with another cup of water. “And you’re not imposing in the slightest. Besides, since we’ll be keeping you overnight, I don’t want to have to explain to your members that we let you starve while you were in our care, now do I?”

 

“I’m staying overnight?” Jinjin asks confusedly as N shoves the pill bottle and the cup into his hands and then bustles into the kitchen.

 

“Yup. We don’t want to risk something happening while the weather’s this bad. Which reminds me, I called MJ while you were sleeping. He’ll be informing your manager about what happened, and they’ll be by first thing in the morning to pick you up.”

 

“Oh.” Jinwoo blinks. “How did you get his number?”

 

“I have my ways,” N says mysteriously, eliciting a small grin from Jinjin. “Actually, I remembered your group is quite close with KNK, and Leo is pretty good friends with Youjin, so from there, it was easy to his number, and then get Myungjun’s.” He grins and pops back into the kitchen and Jinjin hears him rummaging around in the refrigerator and placing something into the microwave.

 

“Oh, Jinjin!” comes Ken’s bright, strident voice, causing the boy to turn in the direction of the bedrooms to see the vocalist standing in the doorframe of one, grinning from ear to ear. “You’re awake! Guys, Jinjin’s awake!”

 

Heads begin appearing in the doorways of the other rooms, and soon, the entirety of VIXX, sans Ravi, is gathered in the living room, though the rapper notices they’ve taken great pains to not crowd him. N must have said something to them earlier about it. Jinjin has to fight down a smile at the thought, even as all the sudden attention makes him squirm a little bit.

 

“Oh, Jinjin, I don’t think you’ve had a chance to meet Leo or Hongbin yet,” N observes as he carries in a bowl of something hot and steaming. “Taekwoonie, Hongbinnie, Park Jinwoo. Jinwoo-yah, Jung Taekwoon and Lee Hongbin.”

 

“Pleased to meet you, sunbaes,” Jinjin says, doing his best to come across as calm, cool, and in control of the situation, even though he’s anything but. At least his voice sounds less ragged now that he’s had something to drink.

 

“Pleased to meet you, too,” Hongbin replies, flashing a friendly, dimpled grin.  

 

“Leo made the stew,” Hyuk supplies helpfully as N helps him get propped up on the pillows so that he can eat comfortably.

 

“It looks delicious,” Jinjin tells the slender, quiet man leaning against the doorframe to the kitchen sincerely. Leo doesn’t answer, but Jinwoo doesn’t miss the slight dusting of pink that appears on his cheeks or his small, shy smile as he glances away bashfully.

 

“Now, before we go any further, it’s okay if you’d rather eat by yourself,” N assures him, giving his pillow one last little pat. “I can send these punks straight back to their rooms if you don’t want an audience.”

 

“No, it’s alright, hyung,” Jinjin speaks up quickly. His members would kill him if he let this chance to get to know a senior idol group better pass him by, and honestly, he wouldn’t blame them. “I don’t mind at all, really.”

 

“Well then, don’t be shy. Eat up, there’s plenty,” N encourages, and Jinjin does, unable to resist the wonderful aroma of the stew wafting up from the bowl in his lap any longer. He’s hungrier than he thought and devours the whole bowl in record time, too hungry to pay much attention to how much swallowing hurts his poor, bruised, scratchy throat. The impromptu soaking he got in the rain didn’t do any favors for his cold, though the medicine N had given him earlier thankfully seems to have curtailed the worst of it.

 

As he eats, Ken begins telling a silly story about when the group decided to go to an amusement park by themselves during Halloween season, and N and Ravi got super spooked when they got pulled into the local haunted house attraction by the others. Hyuk supplements the narrative with his own observations, with Leo and Hongbin chiming in occasionally as N does his best to defend his and the absent rapper’s honor by trying to adequately communicate just how scary it really was, honestly anyone with the proper _sense_ would have been terrified, it’s not their fault whatsoever, and Jinjin nearly chokes on a piece of cabbage, he’s laughing so hard.

 

After he’s done with his stew, it doesn’t take more than ten seconds for N to quickly whisk his dirty dishes away into the kitchen while the conversation turns to the latest, hottest drama currently airing on TV. Hyuk and Hongbin get into a good-natured if heated argument about which male lead the main heroine should end up with. Jinjin ends up siding with Hyuk and Ken sides with Hongbin, and the living room briefly turns into an imitation of a courtroom drama. The two ‘90 liners wisely choose to abstain from voting, and share a bag of tteokbokki crackers between them as they look back and forth between the debating parties like they’re watching a tennis match.

 

Even though Jinjin does his absolute level best to keep up with the action, eating must have made him drowsy again, because his eyes keep trying to close despite his best efforts to keep them open. N and Leo eventually notice even though he tries to hide it, and after he tries to discretely smother his third yawn behind his arm, N claps his hands and sits up straight, drawing everyone’s attention.

 

“Alright, everyone!” he says brightly. “Sorry to break this lively discussion up, but I know for a fact that Hongbin and Jaehwan have early morning schedules tomorrow, so how about we all turn in and get some rest?”

 

“Awww, N-hyung!” Ken and Hyuk pipe up in dismay at the same time.

 

“No ifs, ands, or buts, kids, off you go,” N flaps his hands at the rest of them in a shooing motion as Leo starts prodding everyone into movement and herding them to their rooms.

 

“Alright, fine, we’ll call it a draw,” Hongbin concedes reluctantly as he disappears into his room. “We’ll see who’s right when the next episode comes out.”

 

“And then you’ll owe me a box of choco pies, just like we discussed,” Hyuk returns without missing a beat.

 

“Only in your sad, small dreams, Han Sanghyuk. Night, hyungs, Jinjin.” Hongbin’s door shuts with a brisk _click_.

 

“He always has to have the last word,” Hyuk sniffs, before turning to Jinjin and grinning. “Well, that was fun! We should do that again sometime. You’re a good debate partner, you know.”

 

“I’d like that, hyung,” Jinjin smiles, feeling something warm and contented spread throughout his chest at the praise as Hyuk makes a hasty retreat into his room after receiving a very pointed look from N.

 

“Night, Jinwoo-yah!” Ken calls cheerfully, waving vigorously from where he’s being gently shoved into his room by Leo.

 

“Night, Ken-hyung,” Jinjin waves back as N perches on the edge of the couch next to him and begins to check over his bandages.

 

“Maknaes, am I right?” N asks teasingly as they’re finally left alone, seeming satisfied with how Jinwoo’s dressings are holding up. The rapper could recognize that tone anywhere, full of exasperation and affection, and he realizes N is speaking with him leader to leader, not as a hyung to a dongsaeng.

 

“Tell me about it,” Jinwoo replies with a half grin half grimace as the cut under his hairline gives a small throb when N’s fingers brush against the bandage covering it. “How have you managed to wrangle them for over four years? And here I thought my members were a handful.”

 

“It’s a constant uphill battle,” N chuckles. “It has its own rewards, though.”

 

Jinjin smiles, fully this time. “I know what you mean.” He chews the inside of his cheek for a moment before venturing timidly, “What… what’s it like?”

 

At N’s questioning look, he adds, “Being leader to a group for so long, I mean? How do you… stand it?” How do you stand the constant scrutiny, the endless hours in meetings with the managers and higher-ups, having to bear the burdens of five other people on top of your own, the jabs and slings from antis and the cutthroat media, the sasaengs who believe they are entitled to more than you’re willing to give, the endless hours of practice and stress and travel, comeback after comeback after comeback, year after year after year?

 

N sits and processes the sudden question thoughtfully. Finally, “It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. But then, I knew it would be hard, from the first moment I knew I wanted to become an idol. But my members, our Starlights… they make it all worth it. I wouldn’t trade my time with them for anything.”

 

“Yeah, I feel the same way about my members and Arohas. I feel so grateful for everything they’ve given me, and I want to go with them as far as I can.” Jinjin looks down at his lap, at a sudden, frustrating loss for words, wondering if he should even be admitting this kind of weakness in front of someone he just met and whose respect he desperately wishes to earn. “I… it’s… it’s just…”

 

“I know.” Jinjin feels a gentle hand rest on his head and lightly ruffle his hair once before withdrawing. “It’s heavy. The burden of being a leader. You feel like they can’t see you at your very worst, that you have to take care of all the big things on your own, or else you’ll be failing them, failing your fans, failing everyone who ever believed in you. Believe me, I know.”

 

Jinjin blinks, looking up in surprise and more than a little relief. N _gets_ it. He’s never put it into those exact terms before, but… “Yeah… pretty much. I mean… they voted me to be the leader, so I know they all want me to be in that position, it’s just… hard sometimes. All that responsibility. And it’s not their job to worry about it, it’s mine, because they have enough to worry about, you know? I can’t burden them with more. Well, except for MJ-hyung. I can’t really hide much from him. I do, sometimes, and at the end of the day, it’s my responsibility to make sure everything that needs to be done gets done, but he always seems to know when it’s getting too much for me. I don’t know what I’d do without him, honestly.”

 

N nods with a small, rueful smile. “Having someone older than you to help ease the burden of leadership is a great help, I’m sure.” Jinjin is painfully reminded that N’s never really had that. Sure, he has Leo, who he’s sure does a lot to assist N whenever possible… but having a same-aged friend isn’t exactly the same as having a hyung, someone who can take the responsibility off your shoulders for a short while, someone who is older, wiser, more experienced, and hopefully has more answers than you. His respect for the older man rises a couple more notches.

 

“It is, but it’s still hard. Even MJ-hyung doesn’t have all the answers, sometimes.” He glances over at N. “But you’ve been in the business for four years. You’re the oldest. You had to figure it all out on your own. How did you _do_ it?”

 

N sighs. “Like I said, it was… difficult at first. Especially those first couple years after debut. It was amazing, too, don’t get me wrong, but there also were times I felt… very alone. Like the weight of being the one in charge was slowly crushing me.”

 

“But you don’t feel that way anymore, right? What changed?”

 

“Me,” N answers with another small, lopsided smile. “Or rather, my view of my members. I’d always been hesitant about going to them with any of my problems, especially the ones related to my responsibilities as leader. I always thought… that if I couldn’t handle them on my own, then I was failing them. Failing myself. That their trust in me would be misplaced and that I wasn’t worthy of the title of leader. I was young and inexperienced and I had very little practice being the oldest, let alone the oldest of a group of five other people that all depended on me to make the important decisions that could drastically affect their careers.”

 

Jinjin nods in sympathy. He knows that feeling very well.

 

N continues. “But as I got older and got to know my members better, I realized that instead of feeling like I failed them if I came to them with my problems, they were actually just worried about me and wanted me to feel like I could trust them with my problems. For me to give some of my burden away so they could help me carry it. Instead of driving them away, it turned out that sharing my problems and my feelings with them actually made us all closer. Knowing that they have my back just as much as I have theirs, that we’re all in this together equally… it gives me the strength to keep going.

 

He glances at Jinwoo, still smiling slightly. “Bottom line, if you have goodhearted members – and I’m pretty confident that you do – they’ll want to help you when you can’t handle everything yourself or just need to talk. Being there for your members is important, but so is letting them be there for you, too. I just hope you don’t take as long as I did to figure that out.”

 

Jinjin nods again slowly, touched and rather humbled that the older idol is confiding in him so readily like this. They only just met, yet Jinjin feels as comfortable around him as if he’s known him for months. “I’ll do my best, hyung.”

 

“Glad to hear it,” N grins, patting the boy on the shoulder and standing up from the couch. “So now that I’m done sounding like an ajusshi for the day, I’ll leave the painkillers with you just in case you need more during the night, and I’ll be in my room if you need anything. Do you want to give your members a call before bed?”

 

Jinjin perks up immediately at the offer, and an affirmative is on the tip of his tongue before he stops, considering. He desperately wants to see his members’ faces again, to hear their voices, for life to return to some semblance of normalcy, but… he’d caught a glimpse of himself in the bathroom mirror earlier, and, as Hyuk so eloquently put it, he does indeed look like he got mobbed by a horde of rabid baseball bats. He doesn’t want his members to see him like this just yet, or to worry more than they already are.

 

So, reluctantly, he shakes his head. “No, not tonight. Thanks for offering, though.”

 

N seems to have followed his train of thought and gives him a knowing look before gathering up his laptop and turning out the lights. “Alright then. Have a good rest.”

 

“You too, hyung.”

 

Once N disappears into his room, leaving his door cracked open an inch, Jinjin slowly, painfully lies back down, his battered muscles silently groaning with every movement. He snuggles into the cool material of his pillowcase with a soft sigh and pulls the blanket up to his nose, squeezing his borrowed plushie close to his chest. He’d never admit it, but having something soft and squishy to cuddle with is actually quite comforting. He can see why Ken recommended it.

 

He’s much too tired to muse on the events of the day for much longer, though, and within minutes, the boy is fast asleep once again.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I based N and Jinjin’s conversation in this chapter on a number of observations I’ve made concerning comments and interviews done earlier in VIXX’s career, particularly these two quotes from Ravi concerning N, the first from 2014 and the second from three years later:
> 
> _“I wish he would loosen a bit and be a little more comfortable. Because he has to do a lot of work, he can’t really grasp his confidence in front of us either. So, I wish he could be a little more relaxed.” (2014)_
> 
> _“N-hyung used to bear everything alone and settle things on his own in the past, but now he has opened his heart more, and rather than shutting himself in, he now shares a lot with us and shares his feelings with us, so I’m less worried about him.” (2017)_
> 
> This fic is set mid-2016, but I like to think that N started opening up more to the other members much earlier to Ravi giving that quote, even though it’s mere speculation on my part.


	5. Dream Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cuddles Make Everything Better: The Chapter

Myungjun wakes up in the middle of the night to the sound of sobbing, heard even over the loud drum of rain outside. He stares groggily at the dark ceiling for a few seconds before glancing over to his right. Rocky is sound asleep in the bunk next to him, so that can only mean that… The oldest member of Astro sighs, rubs his eyes tiredly, and leans over his bunk. In the dim glow of the little Pikachu nightlight Sanha had bought on a whim one day, he sees that said maknae has moved over to the empty bunk bed beside his and is cuddling one of their missing leader’s pillows, weeping forlornly into it.

 

It’s not uncommon for their youngest to occasionally get nightmares or become homesick in the middle of the night, even though as he’s gotten older, the tendency has lessened, but Jinwoo is usually the one to deal with those outbursts. He glances at the alarm clock on the dresser, which reads 2 AM. MJ sighs again and laboriously climbs down the ladder of his bunk, feeling every inch the grandpa the kids teasingly call him at times. Sanha looks up as he feels the bedframe shake slightly, face blotchy and tearstained.

 

“O-Oh, MJ-hyung,” he stammers, hurriedly swiping an arm across his teary eyes. “I’m sorry, did I wake you up? Sorry, I thought I was being quiet, I didn’t mean to-”

 

“Just stop apologizing and scooch over, kid,” MJ sighs, crawling over Sanha’s bed and into Jinjin’s. The bedclothes still carry Jinjin’s unique scent, and MJ can see why Sanha retreated here for comfort if what he suspects happened happened. Sanha obeys, still clutching the pillow like a stuffed animal. MJ flops onto his side in the now-cramped bunk, facing the maknae, and holds out one arm wordlessly. Sanha needs no further prompting and snuggles into MJ’s chest, heaving a shaky sigh as the older boy wraps his slight, lanky frame in his arms and holds him close.  

 

“Nightmare?” MJ asks after a minute or two of silence have passed. He feels Sanha nod against his chest, confirming his suspicions. “Wanna talk about it?” A pause, and then Sanha shakes his head no. “Was it about Jinwoo?” Sanha nods again, sniffling.

 

“Jinjin’s fine, Sanha,” MJ soothes, giving the much taller boy in his arms a gentle squeeze. “He’ll be back with us in just a few hours, and everything will go back to normal.”

 

“But what if he wasn’t?” Sanha retorts. “What if he had been seriously hurt, or kidnapped, or k-" his voice breaks on the word, “-killed? It would have been because I suggested that we go out and play that stupid game in the first place.”

 

“Sanha…” Myungjun murmurs sadly, sudden understanding crashing over him like a wave.

 

“It would have been all… all my fault…” Sanha begins to cry again, sobbing brokenly into MJ’s chest.

 

“Sanha. Sanha, maknae, come on, listen to me. Look at me.” He pulls away from the younger boy and shimmies down on the bed so Sanha can look square into his eyes, his face mere inches from the other’s. Sanha’s large, doe eyes widen as he sees the uncharacteristically serious expression on his oldest hyung’s countenance.

 

“Do you know why Jinwoo came home by himself? Why Dongmin and I weren’t with him?” Without waiting for a response, Myungjun presses on. “Because he still wasn’t feeling that well, and I suggested he go home early to take a nap. And to get there before you three so we could win, obviously, but that, admittedly, was a secondary reason, and it’s neither here nor there. The point is, I suggested he go. Me. It was my idea. He wouldn’t have gone at all if I hadn’t opened my big mouth. And then this happens. Do you blame me? Since I came up with the plan for Jinwoo to go home alone?”

 

“No, hyung, of course not!” Sanha immediately replies earnestly, feeling around for MJ’s hand and squeezing it tightly. “It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known that would happen.”

 

Myungjun squeezes his dongsaeng’s hand back and says nothing, letting the boy connect the dots on his own. A few seconds pass, and then: “Oh…”

 

“There now,” Myungjun says, giving a small, lopsided smile and reaching up to ruffle the boy’s already-tousled hair. “You don’t blame me, and I won’t blame you, deal?” He does not for a moment miss the irony of the fact that he’s now playing out the exact same conversation Dongmin had with him a few hours before. Hopefully this is the last time anyone in this family will need to have it for a good long while.

 

Sanha’s lower lip wobbles slightly before he finally gives a small nod. “Deal.”

 

“Good boy.” Smile widening to something more characteristically impish, Myungjun leans forward and plants a big, sloppy kiss on Sanha’s tearstained cheek, effectively breaking the mood.

 

“Eeewww, gross, hyung!” Sanha gags, pushing Myungjun away in disgust, though his watery giggles somewhat undermine the effect. MJ breaks into a giggle fit of his own, and proceeds to wrestle the taller boy into a headlock, which quickly turns into an impromptu wrestling match. It abruptly ends when Rocky stirs above them, telling them to “pipe down, guys” before starting to snore softly once again. Myungjun and Sanha exchange sheepish looks and break into another round of conspiratorial giggles, though they try to keep them as quiet as possible so they don’t disturb their bandmate again.

 

“Thanks, hyung,” Sanha says after their breathless giggling has died down into a comfortable, tired silence. He shuffles closer to Myungjun and slips one gangly arm around his chest, curling into him like an overgrown puppy.

 

“Anytime, kiddo,” MJ replies, returning the embrace and resting his cheek atop Sanha’s head of fluffy hair as the boy nestles comfortably against him. He supposes they should probably go back to their own beds, but he’s so comfortable that he really doesn’t want to move, and besides, he’s pretty sure Jinwoo won’t mind if they sleep in his bed for half the night. It’s not like he’s using it right now, or that anything’s stopping Myungjun from doing an extra load of laundry in the morning, if it comes to that, though he doesn’t really relish that thought. Still, Myungjun would happily do the entire apartment’s laundry by himself for a year if it meant getting Jinwoo back safe and sound.

 

Sanha’s breathing quickly deepens and evens out as sleep overtakes him, curled around MJ’s shorter, stockier form trustingly, still tightly hugging Jinjin’s pillow. MJ stays awake for a bit longer before eventually succumbing to sleep himself.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

_It hurts._

 

_He can’t breathe._

 

_Thick fingers made of solid iron wrap inexorably around his throat, not budging despite how desperately he claws and pulls at them. They squeeze tighter and tighter, causing him to choke and gasp in a futile attempt to draw air into his burning lungs as tears spring to his eyes and trickle down his cheeks._

_It hurts._

_He can’t breathe._

_"Make sure the little rat doesn’t squeak,” a nasty, high-pitched voice echoes in the dark space all around him. “Make sure he never squeaks again.”_

_The fingers around his throat constrict like a vice, the vertebrae in his neck creaking from the pressure. He sees nothing but white for a moment before the pain slams into him full force, and his mouth opens in a silent cry of agony. His frantic struggling becomes sluggish and weak, and his arms finally grow too heavy for him to lift any longer. They fall limply to his sides._

_It hurts._

_He can’t **breathe**._

_His heart beats erratically in his chest, and terror grips him as he realizes he’s dying. He’s going to **die**.  _

_He doesn’t want to die._

_Please, please, he doesn’t want to die, he can’t breathe, it hurts, it hurts, oh God it **hurts** , he can’t breathe, he can’t **breathe** \- _

 

Jinjin jerks awake, breathing hard, hands instinctively flying to his throat, tracing the swollen, tender bands of purple bruises discoloring the flesh there. For a single, terrifying moment, he has no idea where he is, before he again recalls the events of the previous hours. His entire body throbs painfully in time with his rapid heartbeat, and it hurts so much that a loud sob crawls out of his battered throat before he can smother it. His painkillers must have worn off. In the dim light that filters in from the windows, he feels around for the bottle of pills and glass of water left beside the couch and nearly knocks both over before he’s able to grab them.

 

As he gulps down two pills and half the glass of water, trying to calm his frantic breathing and racing heart, he sees a light in N’s room flick on. The older man soon appears in the doorway, looking tousled but alert. In the light that spills out from the open door, Jinjin’s panicked expression and wet cheeks are clearly visible, and N puts two and two together immediately. He crosses the room and is at the younger idol’s side in what seems like an instant. Jinwoo instinctively reaches for him, desperate for something, anything to hold onto, and N responds without missing a beat, sitting down on the couch, gently tugging the boy onto his lap as if he were a young child, and enveloping him in a tight, comforting hug. The reassuring contact, combined with the residual trauma from being attacked earlier that day, the pain his body is in, and sheer homesickness, cause Jinjin to break down completely, too overwhelmed and in too much pain to do anything except cry quietly into N’s shoulder.

 

“I c-couldn’t breathe, hyung,” he stammers out between sobs, clinging to the older man with all the strength left in his small body. “Th-they were killing me, it hurt, it hurt s-so much, I couldn’t- I couldn’t _breathe_ -”

 

“Shhhh,” N soothes, gently cutting off the hysterical flow of words. “They’re gone, Jinjinnie, they’re gone, they can’t hurt you anymore. You’re safe, I promise, you’re safe, and I’ve got you.” He continues to murmur soothing nothings into Jinjin’s ear, rubbing his back and stroking his hair comfortingly until Jinwoo finally cries himself out, slumping tiredly against the taller man.

 

However, as N moves to get up, Jinjin instinctively latches on tighter, not wanting to let the only source of stability and comfort he has left go, a soft mewling noise that is at once both a protest and a plea emerging unbidden from him.

 

N stills, and Jinjin can hear the smile in his voice when he says, “I need to get comfortable, Jinjinnie. I’ll be right back. Promise.”

 

He deposits his patient on the couch next to him and disappears into his room for a moment before returning with a large, fluffy blanket and a pillow. He retakes his seat, reaching over and pulling the lever that makes his section of the couch recline. He drapes the blanket over his lower half, and shoves the pillow behind his head while placing Jinjin’s pillow on his lap. He then gently puts a hand on Jinjin’s shoulder and guides him down so that his head is resting on the pillow in his lap. Jinjin hums in weary satisfaction at the new position, cuddling the Chopper plushie close and giving a long content sigh when N resumes stroking his hair.

 

“Thanks, hyung,” he whispers as drowsiness creeps back up on him. The hand resting on his shoulder gives a warm, reassuring squeeze. And then he’s drinking soda with his members on a warm, sunny beach, laughing at the maknaes’ antics and Myungjun’s jokes, sharing fond, exasperated eyerolls with Dongmin, and for awhile, everything is right with the world.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of my chapters are going to end with Jinjin passing out or falling asleep, apparently. No art for this chapter, I’m afraid; drawing people cuddling is _hard_ , and it would have taken too long to update otherwise.


	6. Good Morning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reunion chapter you've all been waiting for!

“Oh. My God. This is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life. The absolute cutest. Nothing will ever top this.”

 

“Yes, hyung, we know, you’ve only said that thirty times already.”

 

“And I will say it thirty times more, thank you! You’re taking photos, right, Hyukkie?”

 

“You know it, hyung. Leo-hyung’s taking some, too, so we’ll have backup just in case.”

 

“If you wake this boy up,” Hakyeon cuts in, cracking open one bleary eye to glare at the four tall bodies crowded around his side of the couch, “you are all dead men, and no one will ever find your bodies.”

 

All he gets in response are a round of knowing smirks, snickers, and nudges, and he rolls his eyes, his fingers lightly running through Jinjin’s tousled hair from where his head is still pillowed comfortably in his lap. No respect, no respect in these brats at all. He then begins the arduous process of extricating himself from the tangle of blankets, pillows, and small rapper without waking him up. He somehow manages it, though not without about four hundred pictures being snapped in the process (“I swear to God, Han Sanghyuk, if you don’t stop cackling _right now-_ ”). Once he’s free, he quickly herds the rest of his members out of the living area so they can all start getting ready for the day as quietly as possible.

 

Sometime later, the smell of freshly brewed coffee finally rouses Jinjin from slumber. The young rapper blinks sleepily at nothing before a large yawn overtakes him, and he stretches luxuriously, only to immediately regret it when his entire body twinges irritably at him. A brief glance out the living room window shows that the day has dawned bright and clear without a cloud in the sky. Wincing, he sits up slowly, stiffly, about to call out for N, when the front door opens.

 

“Guys!” a deep voice calls out. “Did I miss our guest? I got here as fast as I could, traffic was terrible, and- oh, hello!” None other than VIXX’s Ravi pops his head in, catching sight of a tousled, groggy, bandaged boy staring back at him like a deer in the headlights from the couch, holding a stuffed cartoon cervine. The sudden appearance of the other rapper wakes Jinjin the rest of the way up in a hurry, and he sketches a quick little bow as best he can from his sitting position.

 

“Hello, sunbae-nim,” Jinjin replies, combing his fingers through his hair to try to tidy up his rat’s nest while making what’s hopefully not a complete mess of an introduction. “Sorry for my appearance, I wasn’t expecting-”

 

“Relax, kid, it’s fine,” Ravi says, chuckling, the sound rich and resonant. “It’s nice to meet you. Heard you had a bit of a rough time yesterday, but you seem to be feeling better.”

 

“Yes, N-hyung and the others have been taking very good care of me,” Jinjin replies, relieved that Ravi seems to know what’s going on already. “Thank you for your concern, sunbae.”

 

“I’m glad to hear that.” Ravi enters, kicking off his shoes. A white French bulldog puppy follows closely on his heels, and Jinjin can’t help the thrilled gasp that escapes him at the sight of it. The dog quickly notices the newcomer and trots over to investigate. Jinjin immediately reaches down to pet him. He stops with his fingers just millimeters from the puppy’s soft, white fur and glances up at Ravi, who’s looking at them both with an incredibly indulgent grin.

 

“Is it okay if I…?” he asks, suddenly shy.

 

“Knock yourself out, kid, Butt’ll sulk for hours if you leave him hanging like this.”

 

Jinjin needs no further prompting and strokes a hand over the dog’s head. Butt approves of the petting and flops over after a minute of this, his large googly eyes clearly begging for chin scratches and belly rubs. Jinjin is only too happy to oblige him.

 

Wonshik, meanwhile, is trying to keep himself composed in the face of such overwhelming cuteness, and is failing utterly. He notices Taekwoon emerging from the kitchen, presumably to investigate the commotion, and wordlessly points in the direction of the couch where Jinjin is now currently seated on the floor with Butt snuggled in his arms, the puppy’s tongue lolling happily as he gives the boy a doggy kiss on the cheek. Taekwoon looks, visibly melts, and whips out his phone to take a photo just as Jinjin looks up and beams at them both, childlike delight written over every inch of his bruised face. Wonshik actually _feels_ his heart skip a couple beats, because even banged up to hell and back, Park Jinwoo rivals the puppy he’s cuddling in terms of sheer, unadulterated _adorable_. He resolves then and there to help Jaewhan do whatever it takes to convince Hakyeon to let them keep this kid.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

“But N-hyuuuuuung, I wanted to see Jinwoo-yah off!” Ken whines as Leo surreptitiously slips a packed lunch into his backpack and N fusses with his clothing. “Can’t we just wait ten more minutes?”

 

“We’ll tell you what happens in great detail later,” N reassures him before turning his attention to a resigned-looking Hongbin. “But for now, you both need to _go_ before you end up missing the bus. It won’t do to be late.”

 

Ken wanders over to the couch, pouting theatrically and making sure everyone knows how displeased he is before squatting down to be at eye level with Jinjin, who’s still sitting on the floor with a lapful of a contently snoozing Butt. “Sorry we have to leave so soon,” he says apologetically. “But y’know, theater duty calls. It was nice meeting you!”

 

“You too, hyung,” Jinjin smiles. He reaches behind him on the couch for Chopper and holds him out to the taller man. “Thank you for letting me borrow him for a bit. And for everything else, too.”

 

“Nah, hold onto him a little while longer, kid.” Ken pushes the stuffed animal back into a startled Jinwoo’s arms with a small, knowing smile. “I think you still need him more than I do. Besides, if I know N-hyung – and I do – he’ll probably be by your dorm to snoop-” A swift neck chop makes him quickly amend himself, “- _check up_ on you within the week. You can return it then.”

 

“Well… alright. If you’re sure.” Jinjin hugs the plushie back to his chest, trying to ignore the irrational surge of relief that goes through him at the thought he can keep it for a little while longer.

 

“Very sure,” Ken nods decisively, straightening back up and adjusting his backpack straps. “Alright, Hongbin, I think we should probably go before N-hyung actually bores holes in the back of my skull with his eyes.” He nimbly dodges another neck chop and grabs a startled Hongbin by the arm, dragging him behind him out the door. Hongbin barely has time to give Jinwoo a brief wave before the door slams behind the two of them.

 

“It’s like herding cats around here, I swear,” N mutters, massaging his forehead. He turns back to Jinwoo. “Now come on, Jinjinnie, up you get, time to grab some breakfast before your members get here.” As if on cue, Leo wanders in with a steaming bowl in one hand and a mug of coffee in the other. Jinwoo’s stomach rumbles hungrily at the sight, but… he glances down at the sleeping puppy in his lap, torn.

 

“Here, I got him.” Ravi gently pulls Butt out of Jinjin’s lap with a soft smile. “You sure won him over fast; he’s usually not this forward with new people this quickly. He must really like you.” He takes the groggy dog into his room, with a parting grin over his shoulder. Jinwoo grins gratefully back and starts pulling himself up onto the couch… and immediately drops back to the carpeted floor with a whimper, arms reflexively wrapping around his sore, bruised torso. N is at his side in an instant, bodily lifting him onto the couch while fretting at him to be more careful.

 

“Sorry, hyung,” Jinjin apologizes sheepishly as N gets him situated comfortably on a makeshift backrest of pillows and cushions while Leo hands over the mug of coffee and bowl containing rice, kimchi, and a few assorted banchan. “I guess I’m still not used to… this.”

 

“What, feeling like you fell down a mountainside or being mothered within an inch of your life?” Hyuk asks cheekily, appearing with a stack of clothes in one hand and blithely ignoring the narrow-eyed glare N levels in his general direction.

 

“Both, I guess,” Jinjin replies after a moment of reflection and a long, content sip of coffee. He takes a closer look at the clothes Hyuk holds and notices a familiar pair of red sweatpants. “Wait, are those mine?”

 

“Yup, they just finished drying. You can change once you finish eating.”

 

Jinjin nods readily and tries to finish his meal as fast as he can, so as not to keep his hosts waiting. As he does, Hyuk sits next to him and chats with him, and the next ten minutes pass in a blur until Jinjin finds himself in the bathroom changing into his clean, dry clothes.  He opens the door and is about to limp out, when he stops, having caught sight of himself in the mirror. More specifically, he sees the bruises around his throat, and as he examines them closer in the mirror, he winces, imagining what his members’ reactions to the alarming sight would be. Instinctively, he tries to arrange his jacket over them in a way that it covers the worst of it for a minute or two, without much success. A hand nudges his shoulder gently, and Jinwoo turns to find Leo standing in the doorway, wordlessly holding a scarf out to him.

 

“For…? Oh, but Leo-ssi, I couldn’t-”

 

“You can, since you’re only borrowing it,” Leo returns in his quiet, airy voice. “You can return it along with Jaewhan’s stuffed animal, since as he said, Hakyeonnie’s definitely going to be checking up on you in a few days whether you like it or not.” Seeing the faint twinkle in the imposing man’s dark eyes, Jinjin relents and accepts the soft, fuzzy scarf, feeling very warm inside.  

 

“Jinwoo-yah, MJ just texted me,” N calls from the kitchen. “They’ll be here in about fifteen minutes.”

 

“Okay, coming, hyung,” Jinjin calls back, laboriously making his way back to the couch, every step sending new jolts of pain through his battered body. As he takes a seat on the couch again and lifts Chopper to sit in his lap, N comes over and hands him something.

 

“My wallet!” he exclaims, looking up at the older man in surprise. “Where did you find it?”

  
  
“In the alley where I found you,” N explains while Jinwoo flips through the wallet, breathing a sigh of relief at the sight of his ID.

 

“Thanks, hyung,” he says gratefully, pocketing it. “At least I don’t have to replace my ID now.”

 

“You’re welcome,” N smiles, settling down on the couch next to him. “Ready to see your members again?”

 

Jinjin nods eagerly. He almost aches with the need to see his members again. But, at the same time, he also can’t help but feel somewhat nervous, too, at the thought of what his members will think of all his bruises and scrapes. Plus, he still feels terrible for making everyone worry so much.

 

N notices him nearly strangling Chopper, and shifts closer, pressing his leg against his in a comforting show of solidarity. He proceeds to ask Jinwoo a litany of questions about how his schooling is currently going, which the boy is only too happy to answer, grateful for the distracting stream of chatter. Hyuk and Ravi occasionally chime in with their own questions or anecdotes, and even Leo occasionally makes a comment or two as well.

 

The front doorbell rings. As one, every head in the room swivels to face it. Jinjin scrambles to his feet, wincing and tugging at the scarf tied around his neck distractedly. N places a gentle hand on his elbow to steady him a bit as he sways slightly on his feet, following him up and situating himself behind and to the side of him. Hyuk moves to get the door.

 

He opens it to reveal three young men standing on the doorstep, two as tall as he is (no mean feat), and one significantly shorter, all looking like kicked puppies to some extent or another.

 

“Hello sunbae-nim!” the short one says, dropping into a deep bow, the other two boys following suit. “I’m MJ, and these are my dongsaengs Cha Eunwoo and Sanha. We’ve come to take our wayward leader off your hands.”

 

“Pleased to meet you,” Hyuk says, bowing back and stepping backward to allow them entry into the apartment. “Come on in, your leader’s been waiting for you.”

 

At that, the three boys eagerly enter and remove their shoes. Sanha lights up the instant he catches sight of Jinjin standing by the couch, and without hesitation flings himself across the room and into his leader’s arms with a plaintive cry of “HYUNG!”

 

Jinjin nearly collapses from the sudden impact and added weight of Sanha’s lanky body atop his battered one. N’s hand at his back bolsters him, though, and he manages to gasp, “Hi, San. Miss me?”

 

“Don’t you _ever_ do that again, hyung!” Sanha demands, squeezing Jinjin tighter. “Ever!”

 

“Wasn’t planning on it,” Jinwoo wheezes wryly through the pain, patting Sanha on the back.

 

“Make sure you don’t strangle the poor guy, Sanha,” Eunwoo chides gently, coming over at a more sedate pace. He bows to N and the others respectfully as Sanha jerks back as if Jinjin suddenly caught fire.

 

“Sorry! Sorry, Jinwoo-hyung, I didn’t hurt you, did I? Are you okay?”

 

“I’m fine,” Jinwoo assures him, frowning slightly as he sees the worry in all three of his members’ eyes as they take in his scrapes and bruises and bandages. “It looks worse than it is.”

 

“I wouldn’t quite say that, Jinwoo-yah,” N cuts in. “It’s going to take you a little while before I’d categorize your physical health as ‘fine.’ But he’ll be alright, boys.” He addresses the other three members warmly. “Like I told MJ-yah ion the phone, nothing some rest and TLC won’t fix. I’m sure you’ll take good care of him.”  

 

“Don’t worry, sunbae-nim, we will,” MJ says as the other two nod enthusiastically. “In fact, I don’t think we’ll be letting him out of our collective sight for at _least_ forty-eight hours,” he adds, with a meaningful look at the rapper.

 

“Oh boy. I’m in trouble, aren’t I,” Jinwoo says, only half joking.

 

Eunwoo pats him on the shoulder. “You know it, hyung.”

 

“Right, I changed my mind, I’m staying with VIXX,” Jinwoo says, turning to go hide behind N.

 

“Oh no, you don’t!” Sanha gloms onto his arm like a starfish while Eunwoo catches his other arm, and the rest of the room breaks into amused chuckles.

 

“Something wrong, sunbae?” MJ asks politely, after the chuckles have died down and he notices Hyuk’s slightly pensive look.

 

“What? Oh, no, everything’s fine, I just…” He squints, eyes flicking from one Astro member to another. “Aren’t there six of you?”

 

“Oh yes, Rocky and Moonbin are waiting in the van with our manager,” MJ explains, chuckling, before his expression turns a bit sheepish. “We thought it would be best if we didn’t crowd you or anything.”

 

“Well then, I guess we shouldn’t keep them waiting,” N says, still smiling. “Have you got everything, Jinwoo?” he asks, as Eunwoo loops one of Jinjin’s arms around his neck to help him out, and Sanha clings to the arm holding Chopper.

 

“Yes, hyung, I got it,” Jinjin says. “And thank you again, for everything.”

 

 _Hyung?_ MJ mouths at him from where he’s standing beside Hyuk. Jinjin shoots him his patented _shut up, Kim Myungjun_ look before turning his attention back to N.

 

“It was our pleasure. I think I speak for everyone when I say we enjoyed having you. I just wish it could have been under better circumstances.” He pats Jinjin on the shoulder and leads the four younger idols to the front door where they slip their shoes back on.

 

“Let me know if anything else develops, MJ-yah,” N calls after the boys as they depart. “You’ve still got my number, right?”

 

“Yep, and will do, sunbae-nim . And thank you all again,” MJ says, bowing once more.

 

As the door shuts behind the four boys, silence falls in the apartment for a long moment. Finally, Wonshik speaks up. “Okay, forget just adopting Jinjin, we need to look into adopting every single one of them ASAP.”

 

 

 


	7. By Your Side

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit short, but it fought me tooth and nail from the first word written to the last, and there comes a time when you have to put the metaphorical pen down and just post the dang thing. One more chapter after this! Can't believe I've been writing this story for over a year now, either. Many thanks to everyone who's read, commented, and left kudos. \o/

Sanha and Dongmin don’t let go of Jinwoo during the entire long, laborious walk down to the car. Sanha chatters away a mile a minute the whole time while Myungjun hovers like an anxious hummingbird and Dongmin holds onto Jinwoo’s hand like he’s not planning on letting go again. Jinjin is so exhausted by the time they reach the Fantagio company van parked around the corner of the block that Sanha and Dongmin are almost carrying him the last few paces.

 

Once they reach the vehicle, the door slides open to reveal Bin and Minhyuk’s worried faces. They look slightly less worried once they catch sight of their leader and can confirm for themselves that he’s okay, but it doesn’t stop Jinjin’s stomach from churning even more with guilt for being responsible for his members’ concern. He tries not to show how tired he is for their sakes, and simply grins at their relieved “welcome backs,” genuinely glad to see them again.

 

Dongmin gets in the car first and helps Jinjin up to sit in the front seat, sandwiched between him and Sanha. Myungjun hops into the backseat beside Bin after sliding the door shut. For a moment, they all sit in silence, Jinwoo luxuriating in the feeling of being able to sit down and let his poor body rest. Then their manager starts the car.

 

For the most part, the ride home is taken up by a long lecture from their manager about safety and responsibility and the merits of the buddy system, which doesn’t do a whole lot to improve Jinjin’s mood. He doesn’t make a single peep of protest the entire way back to the apartment, though, because he knows he fully deserves to hear everything the manager tells them. If N hadn’t been passing by, he’d have been screwed, and he knows it.

 

“Alright, we’re here,” their manager declares, pulling up in front of the group’s apartment building. “You’ve all been given the rest of the morning off to make sure Jinwoo settles back in comfortably, but the five of you are expected to be at dance practice by one. Jinwoo, you get the rest of the week off. If you need more time, let me know on Sunday, and I’ll let the higher-ups know.” Jinjin nods and allows Sanha and Bin to help him out of the van.

 

“And Jinwoo-yah.” Jinjin stops and turns slightly to look at the man, who gives him a gentle smile. “I’m glad you’re okay. We all are.”

 

“Thanks, hyung.” Jinwoo smiles tiredly back before caving to Sanha’s insistent tugs on his arm and following them out of the van and into the apartment building.

 

“So,” Moonbin says as they all trudge up the steps. “Who’s thirsty? I don’t know about anyone else, but I could really go for some tea right about now.”

 

“Tea sounds wonderful,” Jinjin says gratefully, wincing as the words emerge from his throat as a hoarse croak.

 

“Yikes, hyung,” Sanha grimaces, face scrunching up in sympathy. “Guys, our tiny mouse leader turned into a frog when we weren’t looking. We need to change him back ASAP.”

 

“Yah, who are you calling a tiny mouse, brat,” Jinjin retorts, somehow mustering the energy to jab Sanha in the armpit. Sanha yelps and jerks away, but he does look much happier afterwards, so Jinjin considers it energy well-spent.

 

Once they reach their apartment, Jinwoo has to bite the inside of his cheek to hold back the relieved tears that spring into his eyes as he steps into their familiar dorm. Dongmin helps him sit down at their kitchen table as Rocky and Moonbin spring into action in the kitchen. Rocky puts some water on to boil, while Moonbin pulls down mugs from the cabinets and drops a teabag in each. MJ and Sanha quickly slide into the chairs on either side of Jinjin before anyone else can claim them. Dongmin rolls his eyes but obligingly takes a seat on the other side of Sanha.

 

When the tea is finally ready, Rocky and Moonbin come around and place a steaming mug in front of each member before taking their own seats, Moonbin on the other side of MJ, and Rocky directly across from Jinjin. Jinjin wraps his hands around the mug and sighs silently, just enjoying the feel of the hot ceramic against his palms. Silence falls in the apartment for a minute or two while everyone sips at their tea.

 

“So.” Moonbin sets down his mug with a decisive thunk. “What happened, hyung? I know that’s the thing on everyone’s minds right now, no use dancing around the issue.”

                            

“N-ssi was pretty sparse with the details," Myungjun states, nodding in agreement. " Which I think was probably for the best, given the circumstances, but now that you’re back, I think I speak for everyone when I say we all want to know what happened.”

 

_(Fingers around his throat, in his hair, the sharp gleam of a knife, “Make sure the little rat doesn’t squeak,” a boot striking his ribs again and again and **again** -)_

 

“Of course,” MJ adds hastily, looking disturbed for some reason. “If you don’t want to talk about it, it’s not like we’re going to make you or anything…”

 

“No, no, it’s fine,” Jinjin replies, ignoring the sick feeling in his gut and the way the temperature in the room seems to have suddenly dropped ten degrees. “You guys deserve to know. There’s not much to tell, though. I got a cab, then the cab got a flat tire and I had to walk to the bus stop. Some guys pulled me into a back alley and took my money. When I tried to fight back, they… uh…”

 

Jinjin’s voice falters, and he squeezes his eyes shut, trying to block the images and sensations that keep trying to flood back into his mind. _Don’t think about it, don’t think about it, don’t think about it, don’t-_

 

“Hyung?” Jinwoo starts, opening his eyes to see the rest of his group staring back at him in concern. He blushes slightly. _Get ahold of yourself, Park Jinwoo!_

 

“Sorry. Just, um... some bad memories.” 

 

“Here, instead of telling us what happened, why don’t you show us?” Moonbin suggests. “So we can see for ourselves instead of you having to tell us about it.”

 

It takes Jinwoo a couple moments to catch Moonbin’s meaning, but once he does, he reflexively draws both his arms to his chest and shakes his head wildly. “No, no, it’s okay, I can deal with it. I don’t want… you shouldn’t…”

 

“We want to know what you went through, hyung,” Minhyuk says quietly, and the others nod. “We’re a team. If we couldn’t be there for you at the time, the least we can do is understand as much as we can about your experience after the fact.”

 

“Besides, we’re going to see you without your shirt on sooner or later,” MJ adds practically. “Might as well be now rather than when you’re in the shower or something.”

 

Jinwoo has to begrudgingly admit that MJ has a point, but still reflexively opens his mouth to refuse again, when-

 

_“Bottom line, if you have goodhearted members – and I’m pretty confident that you do – they’ll want to help you when you can’t handle everything yourself or just need to talk. Being there for your members is important, but so is letting them be there for you, too.”_

 

Jinwoo shuts his mouth, nibbles on his bottom lip a little, eyes flicking over his members in quick succession. Finally, he takes a deep breath and loosens the scarf around his throat, placing it carefully on the table in front of him. He shrugs out of his jacket and takes off his shirt, trying to keep his face from betraying how much the action hurts.

 

He keeps his eyes fixated on the scarf on the table as he bunches his fists in the shirt’s material on his lap, not wanting to see the looks on his members’ faces as the full extent of his bruises and scrapes and the long cut across his collarbone becomes visible. When no one says anything for a full thirty seconds (Jinjin counts), he glances up tentatively. At the stricken expressions he sees looking back at him, he instinctively draws his arms closer to his body and curls in on himself, almost like he’s trying to hide from their view.

 

“It looks worse than it is,” he murmurs, glancing at the floor. Whatever he was about to say next is cut off by a light poke to his side. He shies away reflexively, slapping MJ’s hand away with an indignant “YAH.” Giggles ripple out from the other members as Myungjun blinks innocently back at him, the faint, knowing twinkle in his eyes not quite enough to hide the anger and worry lurking there as well. Jinwoo is seized with the sudden urge to hug him, but restrains himself.

 

With the tension broken a little, Rocky speaks up. “Even if it looks worse than it is, it still looks pretty bad, hyung. How did you manage to get away?”

 

Jinjin winces unconsciously at the memory. “Um… well, I probably wouldn’t have, if N-hyung hadn’t stepped in when he did. They ran away when they saw him coming over.”

 

“You’re lucky he was passing by, then,” Sanha says, eyes wide and scared.

 

“I’ll say,” Jinjin agrees fervently, not able to suppress a slight shiver.

 

“Speaking of N and VIXX, though,” Moonbin interjects, obviously keen on changing the subject. “What were they like? You need to give us _all_ the details. Starting with where you got that Chopper plushie.”

 

“Can I put my shirt back on, first?” Jinjin replies wryly. “It’s a bit chilly in here.”

 

Amused snickering can be heard from the other members as Moonbin sighs theatrically. “If you _must_ , I guess.”

 

“Thank you, you’re too kind.”

 

As Jinjin pulls his shirt back on, relaxing the tiniest bit once the worst of his bruises are all hidden from view again, Eunwoo speaks up thoughtfully. “Hey, on that note, Jinjin-hyung, that reminds me; how in the _world_ did you get the leader of VIXX to freaking _adopt_ you in the span of 12 hours?”

 

“Wha-?” Jinjin sputters. “I don’t know what-”

 

“Dude, do _not_ play coy with us, he has _so_ adopted you,” MJ cuts in, grinning widely. “Did you _hear_ the way he was fussing over you? ‘I’m sure you’ll take good care of him.’ Like he’s a mom handing off her kid to a babysitter or something. Heck, you’re calling him hyung already, like you’ve known each other for months. It’s like you and Eric Nam all over again. How do you keep charming all the sunbaes like this? You gotta let me in on your secret.”

 

“Hey,” Jinjin protests. “It’s not like it was just N that told me to call him hyung, the others said it was fine, too.”

 

“Oh no, the others adopted you, too?” MJ replies, clapping a hand over his heart dramatically while grabbing one of Jinjin’s with the other. “Will we have to fight them for custody?”

 

“We just got you back, Jinwoo-hyung, we can’t lose you again!” Sanha wails, flopping over onto Jinjin from the other side and burying his face in his shoulder.

 

“Oh, stop it with the theatrics,” Jinwoo chides, patting Sanha’s hair with a fond eyeroll. “VIXX is nice and all, but while I may joke about it, I’m not going anywhere, I can assure you. You’re stuck with me, I’m afraid.”

 

 “We wouldn’t have it any other way,” Bin says, standing up to give him a carefully gentle back hug. Minhyuk swiftly follows and hugs him from the other side. Dongmin takes up the hand that isn’t occupied by Myungjun and gives it a light squeeze, and Jinjin finally, finally feels home.

 

 

 


End file.
